Family Circle Names 10 Best Towns for Upper Middle-Class White Families

[...] Strollerderby - Family Circle names 10 best towns for upper-middle-class white families [...]

This website is good for lots of demographic info. I found out that in my town, the majority is Hispanic. Who knew? In the Washington, DC, metro area, where I live, the suburbs are actually in many cases more diverse than most of DC.

This is a good article. I feel like it is often that these “Best Places to Raise a Family” lists feature very non diverse places.

I live in Indian Trail! It’s NOT upper middle class…mainly working to standard middle class…there are a couple of subdivisions that have higher incomes…but not many. Those developments might have high enough incomes to make us look better than we are. Anywho…the population is without a doubt white. I like it well enough and the town is trying to make some positive changes…but there is a ways to go before I would call it a “best town”. For example…we do not have a single park…but they are trying to change that.

Love this article Shannon. I have always argued that what makes a community the best place for a family is very dependent on what a family values. And you’re right - diversity is a biggie!

I’ve also found that smaller towns are automatically cut out of these lists because they don’t have public transportation or schools with Olympic-sized pools, etc. And while I can’t say people raising their kids in cities are bad parents, I personally prefer small town life (again, it’s about the family’s choices, not what’s good for everyone).

About the only thing I think I could agree on is that “low crime” is conducive to family life. But even that is subjective. You could have few murders but a lot of DWIs (hello, small towns). . .

Hey IT Resident–that’s totally crazy, since one of the few things on the list of criteria was “green spaces”–not a single park?
So you gotta wonder what really put these places on the list–payoffs from the mayors’ offices or what?

Lindsey: You are absolutely correct. As a matter of fact the entire state of Oregon used to be a “sundown state.” It wasn’t until WWII when workers were needed to build ships were people of color allowed to even live here. Then they were put into a section of the city (called VanPort) that was eventually destroyed by flooding. Nice, huh?

As much as Portland is considered a very liberal city we do lack the diversity of other metropolitan areas, which mostly stems from the state’s history.

Demographically, the Seattle area can be characterized as a moderately diverse population. Indeed, the majority is white. We are composed of a huge number of different ethnic groups which is one of the reasons why the region is an interesting place to live. As for “my dear city,” Kenmore, we are a bedroom community north of Seattle at the tip of Lake Washington. It’s a town that is going through some major infrastructural changes which should make it an even better place to live. For more info about Kenmore check out my blog: http://www.kenmoreundressed.com

Thank God! People have you to determine the final say as to what really makes a town or neighborhood great. Forget about good, safe schools where children actually learn. Forget about friendly, law abiding people. Forget about affordable housing, family/community oriented neighborhoods, clean streets and wide open beautiful spaces that only God himself could have created. That all means nothing. According to you, the most important ingredient is having a certain amount of “people of color” then your good? Really?

Ransom: Yes, racial diversity matters that much to me. Absolutely. James: I am sure the schools are great quality. But it is critical for my children not to be the only Black kids in their classrooms, so I don’t need to research any further once I see that kind of disparity.

Having moved to Kenmore last spring from other nearby suburban communities, I have been surprised to find it to have such a friendly atmosphere. City leaders and local police have shown a surprising interest in interacting with residents and helping to make this a safe, pleasant community in which to live. Not having kids, I am not “raising a family” here but it’s quite nice for adults also. The city is currently in the process of a massive “spiffing up” project which is going to make it even more beautiful. We have the lake, wonderful bike trail, eight parks including a state park with one of the best public pools anywhere and additional bike/hiking trails. Oh and the reason I initially purchased a home here is because it was considerably less expensive than surrounding community… i.e. I could afford it.

Yet another piece complaining about “diversity”. What a crock. Don’t worry, these “Top 10″ lists will soon be forced to comply to affirmative action standards and we’ll start seeing the authors crime ridden “diverse” neighborhoods make the grade! After all, if you can’t beat em, play the diverse card.

Alexander: I didn’t see anything about “forcing” desegregation in this piece at all.
But a community that is segregated is not a comfortable place for “all” families in America, it can’t be. And not simply because of actual racism . . . but you can be amongst the most liberal families on the block, but if they’re all of one color, you’re hardly teaching your children about the world at large.
What’s more, if your kids are one color and the entire rest of the neighborhood is the other, isn’t it fair to say they’d feel a bit out of place? It’s not racism that they feel that way . . . after all, let’s look at school cliques . . . fat kids like to find other fat kids to hang out with, drama kids like to find other drama kids to hang out with, etc. It’s nice to spend some time with people with similarities.

I finally read this post because it kept popping up in the “recently commented” feature (which I love!). It is so bizarre to me that what Shannon (and others) advocate is essentialism and identity politics. She argues for diversity for the sake of diversity, without any real point beyond exposure and seeing that people of different skin tones aren’t “the other.” I would argue that good parents teach their children this and perhaps make it a point to draw their children’s attention to it in real life. I don’t think that going out of one’s way to immerse their children in a “diverse” setting is a prerequisite to tolerance, that misinterpreted “virtue.” This reminds me of one argument against home- or private-schooling that some Christians make: “Well, I want my Christian child to be a witness for Christ to non-Christian kids in a public school. So despite that our local public school is trash, my kids are going to go there.” (Yes, this is for real.) Isn’t this that same thing? “I don’t care if a a school, whose purpose is for the education of my child, is top-notch; if the school is white, and my kid is not, s/he’ll go to the diverse, lower-quality school elsewhere.” This is sacrificing one’s individual child to the “collective good” (the good of which hasn’t actually been proven), and, as a parent who views her children as individuals, this boggles my mind.

It’s true that I am white, and I grew up in a mostly white setting, and I recognize that I don’t have firsthand experience of being “other” in school (except for semester abroad in college, but that’s not the same). My husband, however, is half Hispanic, but he grew up in a mostly white setting without any direct Hispanic influence in his life. And he grew up fine, is a man of integrity, brilliant, I won’t bore anyone with his virtues any more. What made *him* uncomfortable, though, was when he entered grad school and joined the association for Latino students. He wasn’t uncomfortable because of any issues with skin color, though, but because he was discounted and looked down on because he doesn’t speak Spanish, has no real interest in “minority law” (ironically, his experience with the group squelched that for good), and no interest in identity politics. I can’t help but feel that people like Shannon would consider him a “Tio Tomas” (”Uncle Tom,” for non-Spanish speakers) as did the Latino students, just because he eschewed the “Hispanic culture” as something that he was obligated to pay homage to. Tell me, is this any less damaging than being the only kid of color in a given community? For him, it’s not. This may seem like a tangent, but I think that the desire for “diversity” is a bit misguided. Shouldn’t we be more concerned with raising our kids as people of integrity than with confining them and their potential interests to the skin color with which they were born?

Jeanne wrote: “…you can be amongst the most liberal families on the block, but if they’re all of one color, you’re hardly teaching your children about the world at large.” And if they’re all liberal, you’re not teaching your kids much about the world at large either. In fact, you’re pretty much only teaching them about American and European social liberalism, not African and Latin American social conservatism. But, hey, if they’re a different color…!

As a former resident of Perrysburg, Ohio, I can attest to its “whiteness.” I can also attest to its “upper-middle-classness.” I felt safe and comfortable there for well over 10 years - but it is NOT reality. Now that we live in a community that is racially and socio-economically diverse, I know I am doing the right thing for my children. On a recent visit back to Perrysburg, my teenage son said “I miss black people.” He also now realizes that not every family has a wall mounted big screen tv and a gas guzzling SUV. We have always taught our children that “things” don’t matter, “people” do - and now I have a much more realistic classroom in which to continue the lesson.

I live in Indian Trail and have for 8 years. It is a great town. Of course, what makes it bad are all the New Yorkers who have moved here that want to change it. I say if you don’t like it, MOVE BACK TO NY. We do not want you here!! Stop trying to change it. And we have lots of trees in our neighborhood and walking trails. We have a park right up the road and another not too far away. And I live in the CITY LIMITS of IT. My children have friends who are black, indian, etc. They are well rounded. So, if you don’t like it, GO HOME.

I have performed multiple searches for the best places to live and have not found any with even a balance of diversity. I am African American and yes diversity is important. I you don’t understand why, then there is really nothing that can be said that will make you SEE why! What I usually do when i come up with a search of the “best” I do another search on the diversity & population of the location. The more interested I become the more searching I do. Currently I am 59 years old and looking for a senior location (which is just as tedious as any other). I have an interest and desire to learn about the races of men and am quite disappointed to think that is not the case with others. The world is not big and actually is smaller than we care to think it is. We really have to keep in mind the spillover effect that America always has– you just look up one day…..and find it’s your neighbor.

Thank you for this article. I also have a biracial family, and this list was not helpful to me!

Vaughn, the question actually is A) Why is every one of the top ten neighborhoods a white neighborhood–many virtually exclusively so? and B) Why are there no Black people (or other people of color) in the “best” neighborhoods?

As a professor of American History, I will tell you that this is neither an accident, nor is it “natural” self-segregation, nor is it based on the innate superiority of white people. The James Loewen book I mentioned in the article is a good start if you’d like to learn more.

I am actually really lucky to live in a neighborhood that, believe it or not, according to the 2000 census was about 30% white, 30% Hispanic, 30% Black and 10% Asian-American.

I live in Indian Trail, NC. The school system is over crowded because EVERYONE moves here from NY and NJ. My neighbor joked that she moved away from NY only to be surrounded by New Yorkers here in Indian Trail. In fact, my neighborhood is made up of 99% New Yorkers.

I wonder how we got on the list because there isn’t a single park in IT for family. There is a park in the town next to us, but it’s not in Indian Trail. We have to travel into Charlotte for anything decent to eat or have decent entertainment.

The nearest Barnes and Noble is in the next county. I guess having a Super Wal-Mart shot us up to the top 10.

I do like it here, but I do want improvements. I want somewhere my kids can go and have fun. I want my kids to go to school without worrying that they’ll be transferred to a school a few towns over because of over-crowding issues.

Hey there,
Cool blog, I just came across it and I am already a fan.

First of all I am hispanic. I grew up in poverty in a squatter village outside of Tijuana. When I was 9 years old my papa brought my family to the United States to work in Wenatchee, Wa. on orchards owned by a family friend also from Mexico. My father brought us here legally and we became citizens. Since then I went to college and now own a successful business and I live in Sherwood, OR. I have been here 10 years and know many other hispanics in the community as well as people from other cultures. No one in this town has ever acted or came across as racist to me or any one of non-white heritage that I know. People who live here love it here and it has nothing to do with color. Don’t talk about places you know nothing about. Don’t speak poorly of my home based on some demographic crap you took from the web ‘cabrón’ !

One more question: Is America not the land of opportunity? Is it a crime to work hard and struggle for years to get to a point in your life where you can make more than $50,000 a year. It seems to me that is what many of you are angry about. I know many prominent african american, spanish american, and asian americans that make over $100,000 a year and yes some live here. Why is it a crime to want to have your kids grow up in a town where they can have a good life and grow up in a safe community. What should those of us do that live in Sherwood do. The fact is that Sherwood is a great place to raise your kids regardless of ethnicity. In fact, keep blogging about how crappy and racist it is. It will help keep it small and appealing.