By Ashley Landis

San Marcos was among the winners in BusinessWeek magazine’s fourth annual survey of the “Best Places to Raise Your Kids” in the United States.

Writer Prashant Gopal and the BusinessWeek team ranked cities across the country based on affordability, job growth, air quality, safety and other amenities to determine the top three most kid-friendly cities in each state.

“Ultimately, that’s what parents want,” Gopal said. “They want a place that’s affordable where their kids can get a good education.”

Among Texas cities, San Marcos placed first, with San Antonio and Houston runners up.

“It’s good news for the whole city,” Dr. Patty Shafer, San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District (SMCISD) superintendent, said.

SMCISD just finished an overhaul of the district’s facilities, including new technology in classrooms and a pay raise for teachers and staff.

“As far as the school district is concerned, we absolutely feel that San Marcos CISD is the best place in the world to raise kids,” Shafer said. “The rest of the world is finding out what we've known all along – that San Marcos is a special place for families.”

The article emphasized that San Marcos is home to Texas State University and close to two major cities – Austin and San Antonio – which offer residents plenty of cultural opportunities.

“As the mother of a three-year-old, it's no surprise to me that San Marcos is a great place for kids,” San Marcos Librarian Ashley Schimelman said. “We have the cultural environment of a university town, great city services like the library and city parks, and beautiful weather to keep children playing outdoors year-round.”

In a video interview included with the on-line article, Gopal said he considered air quality while ranking cities.

“Parents care about the air that their children are breathing. These areas are greener, have more parks, etc.,” he said.

San Marcos is home to the spring- fed San Marcos River, which is home to several endangered species and is a favorite among tubers, kayakers and scuba divers.

“San Marcos and its people value families, education, safety and business. We show our respect of the natural resources we are blessed with through our leading conservation programs, and we embrace our cultural diversity and preserve our heritage,” Mayor Susan Narvaiz said. “These are the things that make a city great and these are the things that will continue to be the foundation of San Marcos’ unique identity long into the future.”

Safety was emphasized more this year on the list of cities than in past years, said Gopal.

“The people in San Marcos deserve great applause for helping us to make this community safe,” San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams said. “We all work together and we work very hard to make sure this is a safe place to be.”

Recent economic growth, including a new Embassy Suites hotel and conference center, the expansion of Central Texas Medical Center and an upcoming Grifols, Inc. plasma warehouse and a Fractation plant, has added hundreds of new jobs to the city, helping San Marcos to land at the top of the list.

“This article affirms our community's commitment to educational attainment and quality of place,” Phyllis Snodgrass, San Marcos Chamber of Commerce president, said. “San Marcos has the best of both worlds: it's a great place to raise a family and grow a business.”

BusinessWeek teamed up with OnBoard Informatics, a New York-based provider of real estate analysis to rank towns that have at least 45,000 residents and a median income of between $40,000 and $125,000. San Marcos was listed as having a population of 45,366 and a median family income of $53,690.

The Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, Ill. scored highest overall in the country this year, BusinessWeek said. The town is an hour south of last year’s winner, Mount Prospect, Ill.

See BusinessWeek's list:

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/11/1117_best_places_to_raise_kids/index.htm

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/11/1117_best_places_to_raise_kids/44.htm