Rockville Tops List of 10 Best Cities for Families

ROCKVILLE, MD — Quality schools, low crime and other amenities have earned Rockville the No. 1 spot on Livability.com’s list of the 10 Best Cities for Families.

Last year, the city was ranked ninth in the country by the same index, so congrats on a perfect score, Rockville.

The website’s study examined quality of schools, crime rate, healthcare and economy, among other factors, to determine the rankings. Rockville ranked first overall and was recognized for its diversity, walkability and number of parks.

Livability gave a nod to Rockville's 89 percent graduation rate, low family poverty rate and number of colleges and universities within the community.

The rest of the top 5 cities are, Chandler, AZ; Newton, MA; Holland, MI; and Chula Vista, CA.

What is Rockville’s best feature? Tell us in comments below.

Here’s some of what the website said about Rockville’s strengths:

“A major reason for Rockville's high Livability ranking is the public school system in Montgomery County. The largest school district in the state, MCPS gives parents and students plenty to brag about. All 25 MCPS high schools are ranked among the top 11 percent of high schools in the country by the Washington Post. Five of those high schools also made the list of America’s Best High Schools, published by Newsweek, and 14 MCPS high schools made the U.S. News & World Report 2015 list of Best High Schools. The school system offers students full and partial language immersion programs, an elementary school center program for gifted students and several magnet, charter and subject-specific programs.

… Diversity is another feature that makes Rockville so appealing to families. (It scored second highest on our diversity index.) Rockville is home to one of the largest Chinese communities in Maryland, and is also the center of the Washington, D.C. area's Jewish population with several synagogues, kosher restaurants, both the Berman Hebrew Academy and the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School for students in preschool through 12th grade, and the largest of the region's Jewish community centers.”

Livability also pointed out that Rockville has ranked on many "best of" lists, noting that Rockville "consistently ranks among the best places to live by news outlets, such as Money magazine. Rockville has appeared twice on the Livability.com Best Places to Live list and makes a second showing on the list of the Best Cities for Families."

SEE ALSO:

• Rockville Makes List of 10 Best Cities for Families
• Rockville Lands on 10 Best Foodie Cities List
• Bethesda and Rockville Among 10 “Snobbiest Small Cities in America”
• Rockville Named to America’s Most Educated Town List
• Montgomery Ranked Healthiest County in Maryland: Report

Rockville’s median household income is $98,530 – nearly double the national average. Rockville has one of the lowest family poverty rates of the cities on the list, and 97 percent of families in Rockville are insured.

For more information on Livability's 10 Best Cities for Families, visit www.livability.com.

»Patch file photo of Rockville Town Square