Best Places to Raise Kids: The 15 Most Family-Friendly Philly Suburbs

If you are forgoing city for 'burbs, as a parent you want two things: safe streets and good schools. But after that, the choices vary: A touch of urbanity? Wide-open spaces? A charming downtown? We crunched the numbers, analyzed the data and forayed out into the field. No matter your preference, we found a locale worth moving to
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Upper Makefield

Population: 8,190
School district: Council Rock
SAT scores: 535 math / 563 reading / 546 writing
Crime rate: .59 violent crimes per 1,000; 9.28 nonviolent per 1,000
Median home price: $585,000

Residents here respect the town’s lush green scenery; the township’s aggressive reforestation and restoration of stream banks has preserved more than a full third of its open space. Kids raised here grow up near the site of George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware, anticipating the annual Christmas Day reenactment of the event (thanks to cheery help from the local fire department); families pop in at McConkey’s Ferry Inn Museum, where Washington had dinner before launching. The renowned Council Rock School District has a culture of high expectations and levels of parental involvement: If you’re coming here to raise kids, you’re likely to be helping to paint the school mascot’s costume or fund-raising for playground equipment. While organized sports are a constant (including a passionate lacrosse base), locals take equal pride in school music programs—perfect for the budding Beethoven in your brood.

To read about Wynnewood, click here.

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