Somerville Named No. 1 Family-Friendly City In America

SOMERVILLE, MA — Somerville has been named the No. 1 family-friendly city in America by Opendoor, a digital platform for residential real estate.

Released earlier this month, the 2023 rankings of Family-Friendly Cities are based on the number of "family-friendly" locations within three miles of all addresses within the city. These locations include community centers, gardens, museums, parks, playgrounds and swimming pools. Fifteen cities are listed in the rankings.

In the article about the rankings, Somerville was lauded for having a total of 60 parks and for being a community where 100 percent of its residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

"For many families, access to outdoor spaces is a major factor when deciding where to put down roots. Spending time outside improves your health, and can help kids' learning, behavior and mental well-being," Opendoor wrote.

The publication continued: "While access to major city amenities is still desired among families, our 2023 locations also offer close access to parks, recreation and kid-friendly entertainment."

Somerville is one of six cities to enter the rankings this year and it's the only Massachusetts city on the 2023 list. Cambridge actually topped the publication's 2022 list of Family-Friendly Cities and Towns.

Here are the 2023 rankings of Family-Friendly Cities:

1. Somerville, Massachusetts
2. Berkeley, California
3. Cliffside Park, New Jersey
4. Arlington, Virginia
5. Watauga, Texas
6. Chandler, Arizona
7. Denver, Colorado
8. Portland, Oregon
9. Valley Stream, New York
10. Garden Grove, California
11. Coral Gables, Florida
12. Bellaire, Texas
13. Ann Arbor, Michigan
14. Mission, Kansas
15. Avondale Estates, Georgia