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?