The Best Child Friendly Cities in the US

Deciding on the best cities in which to raise children involves considering a number of factors.  Good schools, plenty of green open spaces for recreation and healthy pursuits, affordable housing, ready availability of employment and low crime rates make a city child friendly.  Other factors include median wages, health and the quality of family life – something that is always improved by having plenty of local child-friendly attractions such as museums, zoos, parks and performing arts companies.
Burlington rates highly as a child-friendly city due to its fantastic scenery and colorful foliage in the fall.  The schools have high per-pupil spending and the graduation rate ranks amongst the best in America.  A higher percentage of the population has advanced degrees and thus median earnings are higher than in many other American cities.  Burlington has low levels of obesity and also has the least number of fast-food restaurants per capita in America.

Austin is a cool progressive city with a beautiful warm and sunny climate.  The city pools stay open all year providing plenty of activities for children.  Austin is also a healthy city with plenty of pediatricians, farmers’ markets, food co-ops and 27,000 acres of parkland.  The city likes to call itself the live music capital of the world and it hosts plenty of festivals including the South by Southwest film, music and interactive festival.  The city is a good spot for employment attracting many innovators.  Michael Dell launched his technology company here and Google, Samsung and Facebook all have offices in the city.

Historic Boston features in any top 5 child-friendly city list due to its excellent educational system.  Boston schools spend $23,000 on each pupil, way above the national average of $9,000 and the city is served by some world-class medical institutions that include the Children’s Hospital Boston and Brigham and the Women’s Hospital.  Boston also has plenty of parks for outdoor activities including the beautiful Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Charles Street in Beacon Hill.

Minneapolis St Paul has an extensive park and recreation system.  Minneapolis means “city of lakes” and there is plenty of waterfront property.  Jogging and cycle paths wind their way around the 13 miles of shoreline.  Minneapolis has been designated a Bike Friendly City by the League of American Bicyclists.  Minneapolis also has plenty to offer culturally with the Hennepin Theatre Stages hosting special children’s night performances.  Many top shows such as the Lion King debut here before moving to Broadway.  The twin cities are home to many pro sports teams such as hockey, basketball and baseball.  Education is good with students coming a close second to Boston in math and reading scores.

Des Moines, IA ranks in the top ten of American cities for education and health.  The Science Center of Iowa will inspire budding biologists or engineers and the clear night skies are ideal for stargazers.  Des Moines has a low unemployment rate, which is due to the many large insurance companies such as the Principal Financial Group that have offices in the city.  Families can enjoy a healthy lifestyle with walks along the paved trails and joining the free Yoga-in-the-Park classes at Grays Lake Park on Saturdays.
U.S houses for sale in these cities are good buys either as family homes or for renting to families.