Plano, Texas, ranks as the best U.S. city to live a family lifestyle in, according to a new report from StorageCafe released this week. Plano has a median household income of $116K/year (one the highest in the country), comes in second for the number of health centers, and boasts 4.7 playgrounds/10K people (significantly above the list’s average of 2.9/10K residents).
 
StorageCafe stated that better housing has long been the main driver behind migration in the U.S., with family-related reasons following closely behind. In fact, one in three Americans move for family-related circumstances, and the environment shapes essential family dynamics, creating reverberations for generations to come.
 
According to the report, to determine the best cities for family lifestyles StorageCafe selected the 100 most populous cities for which data was available and ranked them across a series of criteria touching on public school ratings, safety, socio-economic factors—home prices, rent, income, childcare cost etc.—share of families with children, cultural and outdoor recreation opportunities and more.

Key highlights:

• Half of the top 20 best cities for families with children are mid-size (200K-300K people). The South dominates the list of the 20 most family-friendly cities, with Texas grabbing no less than five spots in the ranking.
• Second is Virginia Beach, with the fifth-largest number of playgrounds, seventh-lowest crime rate and the sixth-best air quality.
• Lincoln, Nebraska, comes in third, with home prices ($266K) and monthly rents ($1,150) well below the national benchmarks, the second-shortest commute (at 18 minutes), 11th best air quality, and 9th highest number of basketball courts.
• Following Plano in Texas comes Austin, ranking second for its public schools and holding a generous familial income of $121K/year. After Austin is El Paso, with the fifth-lowest cost of groceries and the sixth-lowest crime rate.
• After Virginia Beach the state of Virginia also has Arlington, which holds the highest percentage of college graduates, the third-highest median household, and the third-lowest crime rate
• In the Pacific Northwest families can check out Boise, Idaho, a fast-growing city offering great perks: it ranks seventh among the country’s top 100 cities for its public school rankings, has the fifth-highest distribution of tennis courts, and 11th-lowest cost for grocery shopping
• The Pacific Northwest also boasts Portland, Oregon, which comes in first for community garden plots, fifth-largest distribution of dining spots, ninth-best public schools, and a typical family paycheck that exceeds six figures.
• The first Southwestern city to make the list is Scottsdale, Arizona, ranking first for access to healthcare, first for its recreational options, third in public schools, and holding the seventh-highest income by familial household

Major takeaway:
 
“Better housing has long been the main driver behind migration in the U.S., with family-related reasons following closely behind. In fact, one in three Americans move for family-related circumstances, and the environment shapes essential family dynamics, creating reverberations for generations to come,” said Mirela Mohan, creative writer for StorageCafe and author of the report. “Finding a great place to live in today's economy is no easy feat for anyone, not to mention parents who in addition to tight housing inventories and rising mortgage rates have extra factors to figure out. We all want the best schools for our children, safe neighborhoods, quality health care and a nice array of entertainment options to make memories.”
 
For the full report, click here.