June 2, 2008 – Write From Karen

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?

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All you have to do is answer the questions below either in the comment section, or on your blog. And elaborate! Make these questions show your unique and special personalities. This meme entry will post at 12:01 every Monday morning and will be the first postentry listed on WFK all ~~day Monday~~ morning. (This is an all-day Monday meme, so please, play all day!)

June 2nd Questions:

1. What kind of water do you drink? Bottled water, tap water, sparkling water….? How MUCH water do you drink in a day? If you’re not drinking water, what ARE you drinking?

2. Would you rather be Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, or Belle? Why?

3. Are you an urban dweller, a suburbanite, or a country person? Are you happy where you live? Without giving too many details, tell us about the place where you live. What makes it different than other places? What do you like the most? The least?

4. What little annoying thing does someone (pick any person) do that drives you absolutely crazy? Have you told this person this? Why or why not? What do you think this person would say is the most annoying thing about you?

My Answers:

1. We actually have a water cooler. And we have a water company who delivers our distilled water to our doorstep – we usually go through two 5 gallon jugs every two weeks. After drinking distilled water, I will NEVER drink tap water again. In fact, the few times I have, I’ve about gagged it just tastes so … dirty compared to our water cooler water. I also ask for bottled water whenever we go to a restaurant (it’s very rare that I order a drink or soda). Quite honestly, I prefer water to any other drink out there so yes, I drink quite a lot of it.

2. Cinderella. I love how she’s not afraid of a little hard work and is kind to everyone, even the people who mistreat her. I like how she takes everything in stride and how she doesn’t allow a lot to upset her. I also like how she’s beautiful no matter what she’s wearing – a ball gown or rags – her inner beauty shines through.

3. Definitely an urban dweller. I can’t imagine living outside the city. I like the city, I’m used to the city and I like being close to everything. I do like living in Springfield. It has a small town feel to it. It’s clean, we don’t have a big problem with crime and our countryside is beautiful.

4. My husband has the most annoying habit of pausing, sometimes for a full 20 or 30 seconds before answering my question. I realize he has a lot on his mind and I know he hears me and wants to answer me, he’s just decompressing or processing what I’m saying before answering me but boy howdy, does it irritate the crap out of me. Hello?! *knocks on head* I asked a question here. lol What’s annoying about me? The fact that I knock on his head comes to mind. 😀

Have an excellent week, everyone!

monday morning meme