Raising kids right
Dallas earns bragging rights as most family-friendly city in the U.S.
Anyone who's grown up in Dallas will say it's a great place to call home. Now a new survey confirms the city's bragging rights as the top spot in the country to raise a family.
Homes.com ranked the top 25 metropolitan areas in the U.S. based on their overall “family-friendliness” quotient. Dallas comes in as No. 1 on the list. Not far behind are Houston at No. 3 and San Antonio at No. 5.
Cities were chosen based on key considerations, including crime rate, cost of living, availability of child care services, average commute times, school (K-12) quality, and park acreage per capita. The markers were chosen for the ways they contribute to both a child’s development and a family's quality of life. A weight was assigned to each factor to value their relative levels of importance — school quality had the highest, while commute times had the lowest.
"The largest U.S. cities may be known for their unique attributes, but it’s not immediately apparent which of them are best for raising a family," the report says. "The decision of where to call 'home' is a critical decision for new parents and can have a significant influence on the lives of their children."
Dallas scored an overall 38 out of 50 and ranked particularly high in cost of living and park spaces, outweighing its below average childcare services. It also earned praise for its quality of schools, commute time, and relatively low crime rate.
By comparison, Houston earned a shining 5 out of 5 for its excellent parks. San Antonio not only earned a perfect score for its parks but also for its short commute times and cost of living.
Other large U.S. cities that made the cut include Boston (No. 10), Orlando (No. 15), St. Louis (No. 20), and rounding out the list at No. 25, Miami.
