Best and Worst Places to Live

Danielle Abigail Maxwell · Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:59 pm

Find this by way of KLOVE. Interesting stuff... do you live in any of these places? I live in Portland OR. #75!!!!!!

Best Life editors used these categories and data from the U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics, FBI, American Association of Museums, National Center for Health Statistics, and American Bar Association to evaluate 257 cities. Here are the best—and worst—places to raise a family.

1 Honolulu, Hawaii (Schools spend almost $9,000 per pupil, unemployment ranks less than half the national average, and you can play on the island of O'ahu's 125 beaches.)
2 Virginia Beach, Virginia
3 Billings, Montana
4 Columbus, Georgia
5 San Diego, California
6 Des Moines, Iowa
7 Minneapolis, Minnesota
8 Madison, Wisconsin (Madison has a high number of pediatricians per capita.)
9 Colorado Springs, Colorado
10 Santa Rosa, California
11 Wichita, Kansas
12 Los Angeles, California
13 Corona, California
14 Austin, Texas
15 Stamford, Connecticut
16 Omaha, Nebraska
17 Naperville, Illinois
18 Fort Wayne, Indiana
19 Springfield, Illinois
20 Boise, Idaho
21 Manchester, New Hampshire
22 South Bay Area, California
23 New York, New York
24 Fontana, California
25 Louisville, Kentucky
26 Plano, Texas
27 Oceanside, California
28 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
29 Sacramento, California
30 Ann Arbor, Michigan
31 Reno, Nevada
32 Las Vegas, Nevada
33 Lincoln, Nebraska
34 San Bernardino, California
35 Grand Rapids, Michigan
36 Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina (Median value of a home: $202,733)
37 Kansas City, Kansas
38 Fremont, California
39 Buffalo, New York
40 Berkeley, California
41 Cambridge, Massachusetts
42 Kansas City, Missouri
43 Waterbury, Connecticut
44 Syracuse, New York
45 Phoenix, Arizona
46 Albuquerque, New Mexico
47 Akron, Ohio
48 Boston, Massachusetts
49 Escondido, California
50 Fairfield, California
51 Antioch, California
52 Elgin, Illinois
53 Rochester, New York
54 Seattle, Washington (Residents spend $266 per person annually to maintain the city's parks.)
55 Tucson, Arizona
56 Santa Clarita, California
57 Denver, Colorado
58 Indianapolis, Indiana
59 Glendale, Arizona
60 Chicago, Illinois
61 Atlanta, Georgia
62 San Antonio, Texas
63 Mobile, Alabama
64 Concord, California
65 Denton, Texas
66 Coral Springs, Florida
67 San Francisco, California
68 Cedar Rapids, Iowa
69 El Paso, Texas (Classrooms average fewer than 16 students for every teacher.)
70 San Buenaventura, California
71 Worcester, Massachusetts
72 Baltimore, Maryland
73 Richmond, California
74 Lowell, Massachusetts
75 Portland, Oregon
76 Jacksonville, Florida
77 Fort Collins, Colorado
78 Orlando, Florida
79 Modesto, California
80 Montgomery, Alabama
81 Tampa, Florida
82 Salinas, California
83 Newport News, Virginia
84 Oakland, California
85 Augusta, Georgia
86 Fort Worth, Texas
87 Washington, D.C.
88 Tulsa, Oklahoma (Residents spend just 17 minutes commuting to work.)
89 Bellevue, Washington
90 Cincinnati, Ohio
91 McKinney, Texas
92 St. Louis, Missouri
93 Hayward, California
94 Midland, Texas
95 Sterling Heights, Michigan
96 Greensboro, North Carolina
97 Arlington, Texas
98 Alexandria, Virginia
99 Winston-Salem, North Carolina
100 Lexington, Kentucky

The 10 Worst Places to Raise a Family (from best to worst)

Springfield, Missouri
Dayton, Ohio
Corpus Christi, Texas
Flint, Michigan (Country's highest violent-crime rate)
Columbia, South Carolina
Waco, Texas
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Beaumont, Texas (Long-standing air-quality challenges)
Clarksville, Tennessee (Low educational spending: $6,729 per student)

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/fami ... id=8415899

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:01 pm

#7 ^_^ Add in the cold and it's even better.

Kairi · Post by **Kairi** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:03 pm

Nope, mine isn't on there. I wasn't really expecting it to be there though.

The Top Crusader · Post by **The Top Crusader** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:22 pm

I sadly do not live in any of the worst cities but I do live around an hour or so from Dayton! $\:D/$

Follower of Christ · Post by **Follower of Christ** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 2:30 pm

I doesn't really matter where I live, but I'm surprised that any place in Alaska isn't in there (unless I missed it). Alaska's pretty neat.

Sherlock · Post by **Sherlock** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 2:48 pm

#7 though they do forget to add the cold (as Jonathan already mentioned) and the inhospitable nature of the average resident as a few obvious deterrents.

This did strike me as interesting:

54 Seattle, Washington (Residents spend $266 per person annually to maintain the city's parks.)

As I understand it, residents are paying higher taxes to preserve public areas?

darcie · Post by **darcie** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 2:55 pm

My city isn't on the list, but 4 in the immediate vicinity are. Either their goodness has carried over to us, or we're really awful to have been omitted when they were included.

J-man · Post by **J-man** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:09 pm

Shockers wrote:I sadly do not live in any of the worst cities but I do live around an hour or so from Dayton! $\:D/$

Is Dayton really bad or something? They had Dayton on the top 10 worst, and had Akron in the 40s somewhere on the good list.

Danielle Abigail Maxwell · Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:14 pm

Mars wrote:
This did strike me as interesting:
54 Seattle, Washington (Residents spend $266 per person annually to maintain the city's parks.)
As I understand it, residents are paying higher taxes to preserve public areas?

Their parks are nice... I've been to Seattle numerous times. I found that interesting too. Who knows what it could mean. The parks are well kept up though. (No park like Central Park in NY though). I could just go ask Courtney why... my school just went to Seattle this past weekend. I wish I had gone now...

Weird...
I live NEAR Portland, I might say... And I've been to Seattle a lot... the traffic sucks worse than most though...

Iron and Light · Post by **Iron and Light** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:21 pm

I've lived in one of those worst cities, and right next to another of the worst cities. I've lived near some of the good cities, but never right IN them. However, I've been to lots of them.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:59 pm

Mars wrote:#7 though they do forget to add the cold (as Jonathan already mentioned) and the inhospitable nature of the average resident as a few obvious deterrents.

I didn't mean to cite the cold as a deterrent, but an attraction

As for in-hospitability, I'm rarely in the actual city so it depends on where I'm driving.

Dr. Watson · Post by **Dr. Watson** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 4:18 pm

Virginia Beach is #2?

That whole area down there is one big traffic jam. Plus: hurricanes.

I can think of nicer places to live.

Homeward bound · Post by **Homeward bound** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 4:24 pm

I have lived in one of them, have lived in the suburbs of another, am currently located in the suburbs of another one, and have family who either lives in or has lived in a couple of them (one of which is also close to where I am now...).

I have to admit, I wonder what some of the factors they used to judge are because some of their choices surprise me...

DanP740 · Post by **DanP740** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 7:56 pm

#53! w00t! $\:D/$

LizzieG · Post by **LizzieG** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 7:56 pm

No Californian cities north of Sacramento listed. Sadness.

I lived in Fort Wayne for a year, and we heard sirens all the time and my school had some break-ins. Must've been the wrong side of town.

$\:D/$ for Colorado Springs.

As far as Dayton, it deserves to be on the "worst" list if only for my traumatizing near-accident on the interstate.

JD · Post by JD » Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:02 pm

I live close to #35, but I also live close to Flint, Michigan (Country's highest violent-crime rate)

Trent DeWhite · Post by **Trent DeWhite** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:05 pm

My school is located in #2. I knew I picked a good one. $\:D/$

PJ · Post by PJ » Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:24 pm

I'm closest to Kansas City than any of the others on the list, but it's still a bit away.

J-man · Post by **J-man** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:45 pm

Oh, and I have to add that Des Moines should not be on the list. I hated that city. No idea why, but I despise it.

Hope · Post by **Hope** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:49 pm

Ice Breaker wrote:#7 ^_^ Add in the cold and it's even better.

Cold? Isnt it starting to be more warmer then usual. And cold for you is not my strong point... again I ask, how are we related?

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Best and Worst Places to Live

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Best and Worst Places to Live