Laredo Actually Among Best Cities to Raise a Family in the United States
Written by admin, Jul 29, 2019, 0 Comments
Courtesy Rafael Benavides,
LAREDO, Texas – A recent report by Wallet Hub lists Laredo among the Best Cities to Raise a Family in the United States.
Out the tens of thousands of cities in the United States, the study focused on only the 182 largest cities, in which Laredo placed 143rd. While the ranking may not be as high as other cities, and contrary to a recent published article, Laredo outshined in a number of areas. Unfortunately, this recent Laredo Times story did not provide the proper context and perspective.
According to the study by Wallet Hub, Laredo placed 72nd in the Family Fun rank nationally, and 6th among Texas cities.
Laredoans love the outdoors. The City of Laredo offers over 100 parks, 19 splash parks and swimming pools, 12 recreational centers, six dog parks and miles of hike and bike trails across the city to help families find fun and entertaining ways to enjoy time together. The Laredo Active Living Mayor’s Wellness Council also works to ensure all citizens have free activities, equipment, trails and information to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Laredo also placed 80th among the 182 cities in the Education and Child Care Rank, and 4th among Texas cities. Laredo has a number of district, religious and charter schools that serve elementary through high school, as well as two 4-year degree-granting institutions: Laredo College and Texas A&M International University.
Data shows that Laredo continues to be one of the safest cities in the country. In the Wallet Hub study, Laredo placed 11th among Texas cities in the Health and Safety rank. The Laredo Police Department 2018 Annual Report shows that since 2009, violent crimes have gone down by 41 percent, even as the city grew by over 15 percent during that time.
Still, there are opportunities for improvement, including reducing the poverty rate and closing the housing affordability gap.
In 2017, Laredo published the Viva Laredo Comprehensive Plan that dictates the city’s future growth. The plan calls for city government to work with the private sector to build affordable housing while planning infrastructure around people instead of just vehicles. Examples include increasing sidewalks, shade, bike lanes and improving public transit.
In 2018, the City of Laredo collaborated with Harvard University to study poverty in our community. The results last year showed that approximately 32 percent of Laredoans live below the poverty line, the majority of whom were single mother households. For this reason, the city has embarked on several projects to construct and lease affordable housing for senior citizens and families in need, while working with federal and state agencies to provide the necessary resources to families and attract businesses to increase the number of well-paying jobs.
A similar study by Zumper ranked Laredo near top of the list for Best Places to Raise a Family just last summer. The study ranked 94 of the largest cities across the United States, including 12 from Texas, on a score from 0 to 100 by examining factors such as median household income, percentage of income spent on housing and rent, and infant care costs, among others. Laredo received a score of 78.7 and came out fourth in Texas in that study.
Similarly, Laredo recently ranked 18th (6th among Texas cities) in a Wallet Hub’s Best Large Cities to Start a Business study.
“Laredo is the epitome of family. Relatively speaking, when it comes to valuing and raising a family, Laredoans stand strong and united in this conviction,” said Mayor Pete Saenz. “Laredoans make every effort to preserve and promote family life. As so many in our community can attest to, our city is a great place to live and raise a family.”
