Fun and Family Friendly
Carlisle region named one of the country's best places to raise a family
by MaryAlice Bitts
June 10, 2010
Dickinson is located in one of the top-five family-friendly regions in the nation. The Forbes "Best Places to Raise a Family" listing ranked Harrisburg-Carlisle second only to Iowa's Des Moines-West Des Moines.It’s no wonder that many Dickinson alumni remain in their alma mater’s hometown. Forbes magazine recently named the Harrisburg-Carlisle area one of the country’s “Best Places to Raise a Family.”
In fact, the region ranks second among the top 100 places for families, according to a 2010 Forbes report measuring safety, affordability and educational prospects in communities across the country.
Safety first
Drawing on statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sperling’s Best Places and Moody’s Economy.com, this high ranking reflects Harrisburg-Carlisle’s
- low crime rate
- low cost of living
- high rate of home ownership
- solid median household income
- low cost of homes
- high college-entrance exam scores and graduation rates among area students and
- low average commute times.
The area’s low crime rate is particularly noteworthy, ranking within the top 10 in America. Harrisburg-Carlisle’s average homeowner costs, home-ownership rates and educational and cost-of-living scores all ranked within the country’s top 25.
Having fun
Harrisburg-Carlisle's strong sense of community, readily available parks, shopping opportunities, after-school activities and other recreational programming are additional pluses. The region's neighbors fared well in such categories, too. In fact, Harrisburg-Carlisle is one of three Pennsylvania regions scoring high on the family-friendly list; the state’s Chester and Montgomery counties were ranked number 10 and nine, respectively.
Harrisburg-Carlisle’s high ranking marks the second such accolade bestowed on the region this spring. Last month, Forbes named the metro area one of the nation’s top-five “Most Livable Cities,” based on affordability, safety and employment prospects, as well as arts and cultural/recreational vibrancy. With these two new “best of ... ” rankings in its cache, Carlisle may officially tout itself as both family friendly and fun.
Read an article about Carlisle’s recent ranking as one of America’s Most Livable Cities.
Learn more about Carlisle and its surrounding community.
Take a photo tour of Dickinson and downtown Carlisle.