Raising a family? You might want to live in San Jose
City ranked 7th in nation for best place to settle down with kids
Affordable homes, uncrowded schools and easy commutes are some of the things you may associate with a good place to settle down and start a family. But one report suggests there are other factors you should consider when looking for the perfect place to put down some roots and raise your kids.
A new list of the 25 Best Places to Live for Families in the U.S. may well surprise you. In this ranking from U.S. News & World Report, which looked at the quality of life, the job market and access to topnotch health care and education, San Jose got seventh place in the nation. Other key metrics are cost of living, commute times, crime rates and overall sense of well-being.
San Jose was only overshadowed by six cities in this family-friendly ranking: Des Moines, Iowa (taking the top spot); Minneapolis-St. Paul; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Huntsville, Alabama; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Madison, Wisconsin.
The capital of Silicon Valley was particularly hailed for the quality of its schools. The report notes that the area scores very high when measuring the college readiness of local high school students.
That educational rigor comes at a cost, of course, with residents spending more
than 26% of their income on living expenses and a median home price of more than $1 million. After all, this is a region marked by a persistent housing crisis, bidding wars and house hunts that often drive people out of the Bay Area.
To be sure, some may flinch at the region’s steep housing costs, but living in a high-tech mecca also means impressive salaries, at least for some.
The South Bay city was also hailed for its easy access to natural splendor, great weather, tourist attractions and vibrant outdoorsy culture.
Certainly, if you like ghost stories, it’s hard to beat the Winchester Mystery House for a keen sense of the bizarre.
“Cradled by the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Diablo Range, San Jose offers a prime environment for outdoorsy residents, with its proximity to the ocean, the Sierra Nevada and the vineyards — not to mention about 300 sunny days a year,” according to the report.
It should also be noted that another recent study, this time from Niche, a website that analyzes schools, neighborhoods and communities, recently dubbed West Menlo Park as the best spot in California to raise a family.