23 of the Best Illinois Towns to Raise a Family

Illinoisans looking for a place to settle down and raise a family can turn to the plethora of living options Illinois has to offer. Our state has many towns and cities for families interested in finding the best environments for their children. Niche recently reviewed 4,264 towns to determine which are the best-suited for families when taking nine main factors into consideration:

1. 
   
2. Crime & Safety: Niche's Crime & Safety Grade, which incorporates statistics that capture a location's general safety.
   
3. Education: Niche's Education Grade, which incorporates the average Niche K-12 overall grade for every public school serving the area, where each school is weighted by the number of students it serves.
   
4. Access to Libraries: A measure of both the proximity (per square mile) and the availability (per capita) of libraries.
   
5. Community: Niche's Community Grade, which incorporates statistics that capture an area's involvement and investment in the community.
   
6. Housing: Niche's Housing Grade, which incorporates statistics that capture how good an area is to purchase a home.
   
7. Residents 35-44 Years Old: Percentage of residents between the ages of 35 and 44.
   
8. Residents 9 Years Old and Under: Percentage of residents between the ages of 0 and 9.
   
9. Access to Day Cares: A measure of both the proximity (per square mile) and the availability (per capita) of day care services.
   
10. Access to Grocery Stores: A measure of both the proximity (per square mile) and the availability (per capita) of grocery stores.
    

Note that the qualifying "towns" analyzed include suburbs and cities with populations under 100,000. The following are 23 of the 37 best Illinois towns to raise a family, according to Niche.

37. Canton (central Illinois)

Population: 14,646



36. Du Quoin (southern Illinois)

Population: 6,063



35. Rantoul (eastern Illinois)

Population: 12,958



34. Ottawa (north central Illinois)

Population: 19,116



33. Charleston (eastern Illinois)

Population: 22,048



32. Harvard (northern Illinois)

Population: 9,023



31. Jerseyville (southwest Illinois)

Population: 8,553



30. Macomb (western Illinois)

Population: 19,267



29. Morris (northeast Illinois)

Population: 14,019



28. Wilmington (northeast Illinois)

Population: 6,028



27. Fairfield (southeast Illinois)

Population: 5,372



26. Peru (north central Illinois)

Population: 10,188



25. Sterling (northwest Illinois)

Population: 15,314



24. Greenville (southwest Illinois)

Population: 6,881



23. Flora (southeast Illinois)

Population: 5,077



22. Marion (southern Illinois)

Population: 17,282



21. Pinckneyville (southwest Illinois)

Population: 5,622



20. Chester (southwest Illinois)

Population: 8,521



19. Bloomington (central Illinois)

Population: 77,293



18. Braidwood (northeast Illinois)

Population: 6,033



17. LaSalle (north central Illinois)

Population: 9,551



16. Hampshire (northern Illinois)

Population: 6,108



15. Mendota (north central Illinois)

Population: 7,314



Images courtesy of Niche.com. 

To see the top 14 best Illinois counties to raise a family, including Skokie and Arlington Heights, check out Reboot Illinois.

NEXT ARTICLE: 50 safest cities in Illinois

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