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August 2005 • Volume 2, Issue 8 This issue home | Past issues | Chamber home Richardson Best Value In Metroplex, Survey Says The City of Richardson was named as the Best Value in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in a study of the top family-friendly locales in the 10 largest U.S. metro areas. Andrea Coombes, a writer for MarketWatch in San Francisco, reported on the America Online Personal Finance Web site, that Andrew Schiller, a geographer and founder of Location Inc., has created NeighborhoodScout.com, a site that lets visitors compare communities nationwide on various criteria. Using census, crime and other data, Schiller compared towns in the 10 largest metro areas nationwide based on six attributes: Good schools, low crime rates, high homeownership rates, high numbers of residents with college degrees, families with children and single-family homes. “A quality-rated public school in and of itself ... does not necessarily make it a good town or community to raise children,” said Schiller. He pointed out that even though a town has great schools, it may have a higher crime rate or fewer families with children, both of which can affect quality of life, than a neighboring town with equally good schools. High homeownership rates "represent an investment in the location by those living there," he said. Meanwhile, the number of college-educated residents is "a good indicator that the populace places a high degree of importance on education. Those parents who are educated tend to be those who work hard to promote good local schools and participate in the schools." A high proportion of families with children means "the town provides great social networks for both the children and their parents," said Schiller. Schiller generated two lists, one that factored in home values and one that didn't. "We ran the research twice for each metro area, once without including cost at all and the second one with cost, looking for much more reasonably priced areas," he said. "That revealed the top choices and the best value communities in each of the U.S. 's top 10 metro areas." The Best-Value locales for families with children, in the two Texas metro areas surveyed by Schiller among the 10 largest metro areas, were Richardson, in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex; and Stafford, in the Houston area. According to Schiller, the top Texas locales for families with children, among the 10 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, with cost not a factor were Highland Park, in D-FW; and Sugar Land, in the Houston area. Commenting on the study results, Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel said: “We're pleased that Schiller's data recognized Richardson as a Best Value. With a respected, growing university (the University of Texas at Dallas ) plus exceptional community college and K-12 school systems serving our community, we certainly have the educational infrastructure to attract families. “However, we feel that Richardson is strong across-the-board when it comes to Mr. Schiller's family-friendly criteria. High home ownership, single-family residences, a highly educated workforce in the Telecom Corridor® area, superb arts and entertainment, as well as quality medical care are other reasons why Richardson, Texas is a great place to live and work,” added Mayor Slagel. |
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