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10 Best U.S. Cities for Raising a Family: Boise #9

24/7 Wall St. considered good schools, health care, and nearby recreational opportunities among other similar factors for how they identified the 10 best cities in which to raise a family.  The cities on the list generally have economies that are booming and because being able to pay the bills is critical to raising a family, they also factored unemployment rates into the equation.  7 out of the 10 cities on the list had unemployment rates among the lowest in the country.  The cities that performed the best also have educated adult populations; 8 out of the 10 cities have a large percentage of adults with at least a high school degree.

They examined the nation’s 100 largest cities and compiled their list based on data on adult education levels from the Census Bureau; unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; data on the nation’s best high schools and the best children’s hospitals from U.S. News and World Report; violent crime rates from the FBI; and data on parkland, playgrounds and other public facilities from the Trust for Public Land.

Our beloved Boise, Idaho came in at number 9.  Boise is one of the safest cities in the country, and it also holds education as a high priority.  We have an especially high number of playgrounds for children to enjoy, and for the older kids, among the highest number of skateboard parks per capita in the country.

Here are some statistics:

  • Acres of parkland per 1,000 residents:13.5 (42nd highest)
  • Playgrounds per 1,000 residents: 3.5 (15th highest)
  • Violent crimes per 1,000 residents: 2.6 (13th highest)
  • Unemployment rate: 8.5% (33rd lowest)
  • Adults with at least a high school degree: 92.8% (8th highest)

Other cities to top the list are:

  1. Madison, WI
  2. Virginia Beach, VA
  3. Raleigh, N.C.
  4. Irvine, CA
  5. Lincoln, NE
  6. Scottsdale, AZ
  7. Plano, TX
  8. Omaha, NE
  9. Greensboro, N.C.

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Always nice to catch a fat rainbow on the O. #rainbowtrout #owyheeriver #skwalathermohoody #cortlandnymphrod #hardyreels
From left to right: first day of 3rd grade, kindergarten, and 1st grade (again).