5 Metro Detroit cities make list of best places to raise kids in America

DETROIT – A new list ranks the best places to raise kids in the U.S., and several happen to be right here in Southeast Michigan.

Alarms.com released their annual list of the best cities to raise kids this week. Here's some of the methodology:

We’ve compiled a list of the best cities in America to raise kids based on a number of important factors, including graduation rates (a key indicator of the quality of education in a given region) crime rates, health insurance coverage and median income (not to be classist, but the research supporting the influence of socioeconomic environment on a child’s development cannot be denied). Depending on your family’s circumstances and flexibility of movement, the cities on the list have the right blend of qualities that allow children to fulfill their potential.

The Michigan cities on the list are:

• No. 19 - Ann Arbor
• No. 37 - Rochester Hills
• No. 43 - Farmington Hills
• No. 70 - Livonia
• No. 71 - Troy

Ann Arbor is a beautiful city of about 120,782, home to University of Michigan and renowned for its history of progressive politics and lushly forested parks and residential sections. For parents that want their children to grow up in an environment that balances Midwestern modesty with political and cultural open-mindedness, there’s no better option than Ann Arbor.

Related: 10 Michigan cities make list of '100 Safest Cities in America'