50 Great Places To Raise A Family

You know how these personal finance posts we’re always publishing tell you to find a place where you can actually afford to live? But how people respond that it’s not that easy to find affordable, decent towns? Well, here you go: 50 not-too-shabby places around the country, presented in a clicky slide show and illustrated with satellite images for that Google Maps/Homeland Security look that feels so now.

The list was created by ranking candidates according to the following five criteria:

  • test scores
  • cost of living
  • recreational and cultural activities
  • number of schools
  • crime rate

It’s too early in the morning to transcribe all fifty towns, so we’ll cut to the chase. Here are the top five places to live out the American Dream, or what’s left of it.

“Great Places to Raise Kids–for Less” [BusinessWeek]
(Image: BusinessWeek)

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