Niche names Ann Arbor fifth best city for raising a family in US

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Ann Arbor has a lot to brag about. It is home to the University of Michigan, has over 160 parks and its public schools were recently called the second-best in the United States.

But Tree Town has another thing to boast about. It’s now the fifth-best city in which to raise a family, according to Niche.

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The website recently released its 2021 list of the best cities to raise a family in America and put Ann Arbor right in the middle of the top 10.

Where do the rankings come from?

For this year’s list, Niche measured why areas appeal to families by giving each city an overall ranking based on weighted factors such as safety, access to family amenities, the quality of local schools and affordability.

Each city was also graded on things like crime and safety, higher education rates, outdoor activities, the percent of households with children and walkability, among others.

Data for these grades came from numerous sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and survey responses from Niche users.

Overall Ann Arbor received an A+. Additionally, it received A+ grades in the categories of public schools, nightlife, commute and being good for families. It received an A for health and fitness, and A- grades for diversity and outdoor activities. Unfortunately, Tree Town received the lower grades of B+, B, C+ and C for the categories of jobs, housing, cost of living and weather, respectively.

See what Niche included in its rankings here.

Read: Ann Arbor named sixth best city to live in within United States, according to Niche

Here are the top 10 cities:

  1. Naperville, Illinois
  2. The Woodlands, Texas
  3. Arlington, Virginia
  4. Overland Park, Kansas
  5. Ann Arbor, Michigan
  6. Columbia, Maryland
  7. Bellevue, Washington
  8. Plano, Texas
  9. Cambridge, Massachusetts
  10. Irvine, California

Check out Ann Arbor’s profile here or view Niche’s 2021 Best Cities to Raise a Family in America list.


About the Author:

Sarah has worked for WDIV since June 2018. She covers community events, good eats and small businesses in Ann Arbor and has a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Grand Valley State University.