Guess what?
If you live in one of these ten places:
- Springfield, Missouri
- Dayton, Ohio
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Flint, Michigan
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Waco, Texas
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Beaumont, Texas
- Clarksville, Tennessee
Then you suck.
I heard this on the morning radio show I listen to and nearly came unglued.
For those that don’t know, I live in Springfield, Missouri. The first one listed.
The list? The 10 Worst Places to Raise a Family (from best to worst). Springfield is #10.
I suppose that’s SOME consolation. *growl*
Seriously, WTH? Just look at our beautiful city!
Look at those happy people! Look at that gorgeous tree in the foreground and that historic building in the background. And that fountain. Everyone likes a pretty fountain! It’s nice, I tell ya!
The article, in Best Life Magazine, actually talks about the top 100 best places to raise a family. Number one being:
Honolulu, Hawaii. The reason? “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.” Okay, I’ll buy the beaches and the fact that it’s paradise on earth, but $9,000 per pupil?? Doesn’t the cost of living dictate parents spend that much per pupil?
And being from Missouri, I was STUNNED to see St. Louis and Kansas City make the list, and yet, Springfield, the city that has a lot less crime, pollution and better living conditions made the WORST list?
I just can’t buy it. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to because the article is woefully skimpy on details. The criteria for making the best place to raise a family?
… good schools with favorable student-teacher ratios, above-average test scores, and respectable budgets. Plenty of museums, parks, and pediatricians also contribute to a good quality of life, whereas multihour commutes, expensive houses, and divorcing friends and neighbors do not. 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.
Granted, our student-teacher ratios ARE high – I think the average is 30 students per teacher and we certainly don’t have very many museums and I have no idea what the divorce ratio is down here, but I strongly disagree with education test scores (our schools CONSISTENTLY make the top ten list in the state every year), we have parks coming out of our nostrils, we have a WHOLE MILE devoted to healthcare, our housing is ridiculously inexpensive and we live in the Ozarks – known for it’s beautiful countryside and clean lakes! I think our pros far outweigh the cons they have listed here.
But I can’t dispute details because the article doesn’t give details. I would love to know some statistics for our city because I just can’t buy the fact that we’re in the top ten WORST places to live.
No way. There’s simply some mistake. Show me some proof and I’ll be happy to eat my words, but in the meantime Best Life magazine? Your research is seriously flawed.
What about you? Do you think you’re living in a good place to raise a family?
I can name a few cities in WI which should be on the worst list so I think they have a clearly flawed article there.
Oshkosh has some good things to offer but I would not rate the schools very high, I am a homeschooler for a reason.
I have always said where I live is a good place to raise a family. Rural Kansas, small town, good school, petty crime, but violent crimes are pretty much non existant. I feel safe walking or driving through my town. I love it here. However, I’m not sure who well we equip our children for the “real” world out there. If they decide to live here and raise their family, then they are good to go. But venturing out into the big cities, I think is probably a real eye opener for them. But, I still cling to my belief that this is a good place to be:)
I think where I live in West Michigan is a wonderful place to raise a family. I’m interested (but not surprised) to see that Flint made the worst list – and (pleasantly) surprised that Detroit didn’t.
It seems odd that they didn’t share the details of how each city scored – I’d be curious to see that!
Who makes this crap up anyway?? Does the city you live in really determine how good you can raise your family? Isn’t that something we determine?
I would not have moved to Springfield MO from Naples Florida if I did not think it was the best place to raise my boys!
Beaumont TX sucks by any criteria you care to name. Honolulu’s schools are close to the worst in the nation. It’s a backwarer.
r.s.
Beaumont isn’t so bad folks. There are several museums in the area, the nearby Big Thicket, the ocean, low cost housing, incredible live music : jazz, blues and country. In addition, we are located only two hours east of Houston and all that it has to offer.
Fayetteville NC — Enter at your own risk…
In the last year, Fayetteville has built a $4.2 million animal shelter. The men’s homeless shelter burned down 2 years ago; a few weeks ago the cops cleaned out the homeless who were sleeping under a local bridge because it was close to a park.
The so-called shelter currently available for women has room for very few people.
I am not opposed to housing and protecting animals; but $4.2 million surely would have built two shelters, one for humans and one for animals. ya think !!
There is a reason the troops call this town “Fayettenam” . . .
Beaumont is the pits sorry. Doesnt mean you cant make yourself a pleasant island nearby if you have money but its terrible.
Terrible climate, humidity so bad it feels like you’re being stuck with needles when you step outside. Pollution to the 9’s. Some plants were constructued in the 1940’s and are putting out mutagens and carcinogens. Look those terms up in Google for a scare. Huge racial problems and the crime that goes along with it. Beaumont is literally divided down the highway by white and black. Very few decent restaurants, no culture. Huge number of prisons in the area.