Businessweek: Arcadia Best Californian City To Raise Kids

Arcadia is the best city in California to raise
children, according to BusinessWeek magazine, "because of its low crime and excellent
schools.''

Arcadia earned top marks for the second straight year among California cities of 50,000 or more, according to the magazine. Two other Los Angeles suburbs, Monterey Park and Diamond Bar, were California runners-up.

"This honor is in recognition of the community's strong commitment to sustaining a high quality of life with top public services and great schools,'' Arcadia City Manager Don Penman told PublicCEO.com, a Web site devoted to California local government. "Our residents are interested, involved and a big part of what makes Arcadia such a terrific place to raise a family.''

BusinessWeek reported that they used OnBoard Informatics, a real estate analyst, to compile data about cities of more than 50,000 population and median family incomes between $40,000 and $100,000.

"We then narrowed the list of towns using the following weighted criteria: school performance; number of schools; household expenditures; crime rates; air quality; job growth; family income; museums; parks, theaters, and other amenities: and diversity,'' BusinessWeek reported. "We weighted school performance and safety most heavily, but also gave strong weight to amenities and affordability.''

A Chicago suburb, Tinley Park, Ill., was named for the nation's best community for children.