The Best Places To Raise Kids

Posted by: Lauren Young on November 12

If you haven’t checked out BusinessWeek’s annual ranking of the Best Places to Raise Kids, please take a look and let us know what you think about the finalists. So far, the story and accompanying slide show have attracted more than 1,500 comments.

I lived in Chicago during graduate school, but I’m not familiar with Mount Prospect, Ill., which is featured at the top of the list. Pictured here, it gets high marks for school performance, affordability, safety, cost of living, air quality, job growth, racial diversity, and local recreation options.

In my home state of New York, New Rochelle is lauded for a bustling downtown and a mix of single-family homes and apartments. Alas, our neighborhood in Brooklyn didn’t make the cut, but so far I’ve found it to be an awesome place to raise a family. There are several parks and museums, the restaurants and retail establishments are kid friendly, and you’ll find plenty of daycare options. (Daycare is something that we didn’t have access to when we lived in Manhattan.)

We live on an old-school Brooklyn block, complete with grandmothers who sit outside on lawn chairs when the weather is nice. People look out for each other, and the local elementary school is one of the best in the city with a diverse mix of students.

What makes your town a great place—or maybe even a terrible place—to raise your children? Do you have any write-in candidates?

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