If you’re considering a move to a new city, this MarketWatch article from Catey Hill highlights a few cities that are perfect for families, based on their ability to provide an ideal work/life balance.
Parents, if you live in a near-perpetual state of work/life imbalance, it may be time to move.
Fully 56% of working parents say balancing the responsibilities of a career and family is difficult, according to a survey released in November by the Pew Research Center — and that’s gotten worse for many. Nearly one-third of full-time U.S. employees with kids say that, in the past five years, it has become more difficult to balance work and family responsibilities, according to a survey by professional services company EY.
While some of this has to do with factors like long hours and inflexible work arrangements, a lot of it can be blamed on where you live. Expensive cities with workaholic cultures and long commute times make balancing work and family life even harder. And that’s especially true in those cities where you have to spend a high percentage of your income to live in a good public school district (or else shell out plenty of dough for private schools).
So MarketWatch has identified cities where it’s easier to achieve work/life balance. To compile this list, we first looked at cities with affordable homes in good school districts. From that list, we then looked at the cities in which parents could find jobs (with unemployment rates below 6%),where the cost of living was no more than 10% higher than the national average and average commute times were less than 30 minutes each way. We also looked for cities that did not have crime scores. Finally, we factored in lifestyle criteria like weather, culture, arts, entertainment and parks, as well as childcare costs.
Austin, Texas
You may know it best for its vibrant music scene and top-notch restaurants. But the Austin-Round Rock area is more than just a hipster haven: It’s also a great place to raise a family.
Despite the fact that it’s a thriving tech hub filled with well-paid jobs, residents describe the vibe here as laid back and arty. The city’s unofficial slogan, which you’ll see donning the bumpers of everything from Priuses to pickups, is “Keep Austin Weird.” That’s a draw for many overstressed parents, who still want to be surrounded by plenty of culture.
Indeed, the city has something for mom and dad – excellent restaurants (Travel & Leisure magazine named it America’s “Next Great Food Town”), myriad theater companies, hundreds of live music venues, and dozens of museums – as well as for the kids. It’s also home to the South by Southwest Music Festival and is often called the “Live Music Capital of the World.”
The ability to spend a lot of time outdoors is one of the things new mom and project manager Emily Haydon, 35, loves about the area. “I love being outside as much as I a can with my son, and the amount of festivals, parks, and other outdoor activities allow me to do so,” she says. Austin offers more than 30 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents (compared to fewer than five acres for every 1,000 residents in New York), with the 351-acre Zilker Park, home to the freshwater Barton Springs Pool that remains about 68 degrees year around, a particular draw for families.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Those looking for urban living – but with the pace of life taken down a notch – may want to consider Charlotte. This city of roughly 800,000 residents has a cosmopolitan feel – residents hail from all over, many from the Northeast (in fact, you won’t hear as many southern accents here as you might expect), and dozens of shiny, new buildings and lofts make up the ever-changing skyline.
Rochelle Rivas, the founder of consulting firm Darton Group Consulting, moved here from Chicago eight years ago with her husband and twin girls, to start her business. The city appealed to her as an entrepreneur because it was large enough that “the talent was here, the infrastructure was here” but small enough that she felt she could create a very successful firm. “You can have an impact here on what you touch,” she says. Indeed, Charlotte has one of the fastest growing economies in the nation, and even if you’re not an entrepreneur, the job market is solid with companies like Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Duke Energy employing thousands, as well as unemployment below 5%.
Rivas came to love it as a place to raise her family as well. “We’re avid sports fans,” she says — and Charlotte has a lot of offer on that front. Charlotte also has a symphony, ballet and dozens of museums (Discovery Place, a science center with an IMAX theater is a family favorite), and a well-respected craft brewery scene (you’re welcome, parents). “You’ve got all the fine dressing of a big city, but a small-town feel,” Rivas says.
Tucson, Arizona
You may think of Tucson, home to the famous Canyon Ranch spa, as a mecca for retirees seeking R&R – and it is still that – but it’s become something more: A respite for stressed families. Not only does it have a low cost of living, decent economy and quality schools in reasonably priced neighborhoods, it’s got particular appeal for outdoorsy families.
Tucson boasts roughly 350 days a year of sunshine (no more cabin-fever-crazed kids) with average temperatures in most months in the mid-60s to mid-80s. Plus, there are hundreds of miles of bike-friendly roads (including The Loop, a 55-mile car-free trail) and outdoor activities that range from rock climbing (the city is surrounded by five mountain ranges and the 1.8 million acre Coronado National Forest) to hiking and horseback riding.
What’s more, the presence of the University of Arizona and a revamped downtown (though still bursting with old charm, plus a new streetcar to help you get around) give Tucson a youthful energy. The city has plenty of arts offerings for the whole family, including the funky Fourth Avenue arts district and its many street fairs are family favorites. And, thanks in part to its close proximity to the border, some of the best Mexican food in the nation.
