Let me just say that I grew up in Michigan, and I think Michigan is a great place to raise a family. Both my parents are from the Great Lakes State, too, with my dad being from Detroit and my mom from Lansing. That said, a new study ranks one Michigan city the absolute worst to raise a family in the U.S.
WalletHub has conducted a study to determine the best – and worst- cities in the country to raise a family. “With families in mind, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on 46 key metrics that consider essential family dynamics, such as the cost of housing, the quality of local school and health-care systems, and the opportunities for fun and recreation,” they state in the study. “While obviously not perfect — given personal preferences and the limitations of publicly available data — our findings will hopefully give movers a sense of their options.”
According to WalletHub, the average American moves an estimated 11.7 times in a lifetime. That’s a lot. “Moving can be a sign of opportunity, such as a new job or long-term wealth accumulation, but people may also move because of instability such as foreclosure or job loss,” the outlet adds.
Here comes the bad news. According to the study, Detroit is the worst city in America to raise a family, with a total score of 34.15. It came in at No. 182 on the list, right behind Cleveland, Ohio, and Memphis, Tennessee. I think Detroit is a great place for kids, personally, but this is what the study says. Higher on the list was Grand Rapids, Michigan, at No. 91 with a total score of 51.09. That doesn’t surprise me, as Grand Rapids has often considered a great spot for kids. The No. 1 best city to raise a family in the study was Fremont, California, followed by Overland Park, Kansas, and Irvine, California. Find the full list here.