These Virginia Cities Among Best Places To Raise A Family

VIRGINIA — Two Virginia cities are among the best places in the United States to raise a family, according to a new ranking.

Finance website WalletHub recently compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on 45 key metrics that are essential for families, such as the cost of housing, the quality of local schools and health-care systems, and the opportunities for fun and recreation.

The goal was to give parents a better sense of which towns are best suited to raise families.

"Finding the best place to raise a family is difficult. On top of all of these factors, people also often want to raise their children close to their extended family," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement. "Therefore, current or prospective parents can benefit from narrowing down their choices to a few of the best cities that are within a reasonable drive of their family."

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Coming in near the top of the list were Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, which ranked 20th and 26th, respectively. Virginia Beach earned a total score of 61.53 out of 100, while Chesapeake received a score of 60.8.

Here's how both cities ranked in several individual categories:

Virginia Beach

• Family Fun: 146
• Health & Safety: 10
• Education & Child Care: 22
• Affordability: 35
• Socioeconomics: 24

Chesapeake

• Family Fun: 95
• Health & Safety: 24
• Education & Child Care: 47
• Affordability: 31
• Socioeconomics: 38

Meanwhile, three Virginia cities were significantly lower on the list, meaning they were among the worst places to raise a family, according to WalletHub. Those cities were Richmond (No. 128), Newport News (No. 131) and Norfolk (No. 137).

These are the top 10 best cities to raise a family, according to WalletHub:

1. Fremont, California
2. Overland Park, Kansas
3. Plano, Texas
4. Irvine, California
5. South Burlington, Vermont
6. Seattle, Washington
7. Boise, Idaho
8. Gilbert, Arizona
9. Bismarck, North Dakota
10. San Diego, California

See the full ranking online at WalletHub.com.

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