Best Places to Live for Families

Finding the best place to live for you and your family can be challenging, especially if you're changing jobs or need a bigger city because of a career switch. To help in your search, here are some online tools that rank best places to live for families.

• Parents.com/Child Magazine have ranked the top 10 towns for families in the US. It's a great resource for families on the move. They combine median income, house prices, student/teacher ratio and the number of people who recycle! A great mix of information that most families need to know.

  On their top 5 list:

  1. South Burlington, Vermont
  2. Oro Valley, Arizona
  3. Brunswick, Ohio
  4. Shoreview, Minnesota
  5. Wheeling, Illinois

  And they're top 5 cities:

  1. Denver
  2. Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News
  3. Minneapolis-St. Paul
  4. Miami
  5. Orlando

• Similarly, Today's Parent ranks the top 5 cities in Canada based on access to health care, school rankings and affordability:
  1. Quebec City, Quenec
  2. Ottawa-Hull, Ontario/Quebec
  3. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  4. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  5. Calgary, Alberta
• And of course, no search would be complete without CNNMoney's Top 100. It's a great list that's updated regularly. Check it out. Here's there top 5 cities for families based on schools, housing and more:
  1. Plymouth, MN
  2. Fort Collins, CO
  3. Naperville, IL
  4. Irvine, CA
  5. Franklin Township, NJ

• Kiplinger.com offers great advice on best cities for families. With information on affordability and workforce, it's a must for every family to peruse. On their list is Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Des Moines, Iowa.