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Big walkable and transit-oriented cities, hands down. As someone who spent their childhood being raised in West Philadelphia, I can say that growing up in the city benefitted me in a number of ways. Too many suburban and rural kids lack street smarts and can't do something as simple as ride a bus due to where they grew up. I find that city kids are generally more confident, more aware of their surroundings, are more comfortable interacting with a myriad of different people, and have an easier time adapting to new environments.
I agree with this--though I understand because of housing costs it might not be feasible if you have a very large family, like four or five kids. We raised our kids in NYC in a middle-class neighborhood (unfortunately, very expensive now), and they loved every minute of it. their now normal, well-adjusted tax-saying young adults. Their public school education was good and they did not attend specialized or charter schools. Yeah, in general big city schools need improvement. But they're also not all the low-performing dens of inequity they're made out to be, especially in more working- and middle-class neighborhoods.
Our kids loved growing up here and have all the advantages noted above. I could easily see having raised them similarly in any of the big Northeast cities, as well as places like Chicago or Atlanta, and I think people dismiss the possibility of doing so way too quickly.
Next best place would be, as said, the good inner ring suburbs of any of these cities.
The real answer to this is something no one has said yet: where you have a support system. I grew up with my extended family all in one metro and I wouldn’t change that for anything. I still have good relationships with my family as a result. It takes a village to raise a kid and I believe that.
The real answer to this is something no one has said yet: where you have a support system. I grew up with my extended family all in one metro and I wouldn’t change that for anything. I still have good relationships with my family as a result. It takes a village to raise a kid and I believe that.
Yes, having family near by is definitely huge help when the kids come.
A town where the HS graduating class is about 25. Every boy who goes out for footballl makes the team and rides the bus Friday nights. Plain girls are cheerleaders. At home, kids can play outside after dark, make up their own rules, and actually see the stars. You know their playmates' parents. Where seasons are summer and winter.
I'm not sure if this is what you were going for but this sounds like anywhere in the middle of the country -- not really that hard to find.
The real answer to this is something no one has said yet: where you have a support system. I grew up with my extended family all in one metro and I wouldn’t change that for anything. I still have good relationships with my family as a result. It takes a village to raise a kid and I believe that.
I think this is a great point. We recently moved closer to my mother and it was one of the best moves we ever made. The 1st year of my 1st kids life was away from all family, and while not "hard" per se, it was not as enjoyable.
There are a lot of great places to raise kids. A few places that immediately come to mind are:
Bellevue/Mercer Island, WA
Fairfield County, CT
Westchester County, NY
Brookline/Newton/Cambridge, MA
Bethesda/Silver Spring, MD
Vienna/McLean, VA
Alpharetta, GA
Irvine, CA
Take your pick, it's just a matter of what your other preferences are.
I agree.
For MA, Newton would definitely make that list.
Brookline and Cambridge span from SFH, owned by families with private jet money, all the way to apartment living. Somerville is a recent addition to those two. They're far more economically diverse, and urban, not dissimilar to living inside a major city itself. I suppose it'd be more like Arlington than Vienna or McLean or Bethesda. Which is not to say they aren't great places to raise your family.
I'd argue that places in Massachusetts like Winchester, or Belmont, or Arlington probably fit your list better.
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