Book ranks best places for families

NEW YORK – There are lots of great places to live, but finding the “best” place depends on individual tastes and needs.

“Best Places to Raise Your Family,” a new book by Bert Sperling and Peter Sander and published by Wiley, ranks the top 100 most affordable communities based on standard of living, education, health and safety, lifestyle and population profiles.

In the book’s introduction, the authors said they sought out places that would provide “value,” not just excellence. Communities such as Lake Forest, Ill., Beverly Hills, Calif., and Greenwich, Conn., certainly have excellent services but they simply are too expensive for many families.

Ranked “the best of the best” are Louisville, Colo.; Gaithersburg, Md.; Roswell, Ga.; Lakeville, Minn.; Flower Mound, Texas; Fort Collins, Colo.; Cary, N.C.; Sugar Land, Texas; Columbia, Md.; and Noblesville, Ind.

But for families most interested in education, they might also check into Charlottesville, Va., Gainesville, Fla., or West Nyack, N.Y.

Best places for health and safety include Appleton, Wis., Coralville, Iowa, and Nashua, N.H.

Does Mom or Ddad want to work from home? These neighborhoods are good for that: Austin, Texas; Folsom, Calif.; Lake Zurich, Ill.; and Coraopolis-Moon Township, Pa.

For families who picture themselves on a cul-de-sac, they might consider a move to Hilliard, Ohio, or Ranch Santa Margarita, Calif. The book says they’ve got good ones.

Kaysville, Utah, and Castle Rock, Colo., offer a country-and-western feel, while East Islip, N.Y., Grants Pass, Ore., and Farragut, Tenn., rank high for “just plain fun.”