Minneapolis No.7 Place to Raise a Family, Magazine Says

TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune


And the 7th best place to raise a family is?

Minneapolis, according to a survey published in the June-July issue of Best Life magazine.

For its "100 Best Places to Raise a Family," the magazine's editors looked at such criteria as where people feel their children are safe, can attend good schools with favorable student-teacher ratios, above-average test scores, and respectable budgets.

They also looked at places that have scores of museums, parks, and pediatricians that contribute to a high quality of life, as well as factors that don't -- such as cities where drivers experience long commutes, expensive houses, and divorce rates.

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.

Leading the list was Honolulu, cited for its low unemployment rate, the amount of money schools spend per pupil and 125 beaches to play on. Next was Virginia Beach, Va., followed by Billings, Mont., Columbus, Ga. and San Diego.

Des Moines, Iowa came in at No. 6, with Minneapolis at No. 7, Madison, Wis. at No. 8, Colorado Springs, Colo. at No. 9 and Santa Rosa, Calif. at No. 10.

On the other end of the scale, the magazine ranked Clarksvile, Tenn. as the worst place to live. Close behind were Beaumont, Texas; Fayetteville, N.C.; Philadelphia; Waco, Texas; Columbia, S.C.; Flint, Mich.; Corpus Christi, Texas; Dayton, Ohio, and Springfield, Mo.