Best place to raise a family in Ohio

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Posted: Oct 4, 2022 / 10:39 AM EDT

Updated: Oct 4, 2022 / 10:39 AM EDT

MASON, Ohio (WJW) — One Ohio city is being hailed as one of the best places to reside in the country.

Fortune’s 25 Best Places to Live for Families list was recently released, and nary a metropolis could be found in their selections. The publication combed through more than 2,000 towns and cities using its own metrics to narrow it down, and all 25 spots are on the smaller side.

They used the following five categories (with 215,000 data points) to determine the best of the best: education, aging resources, general wellness, financial heath and livability, making sure to take in account resources for family members of every age.

Using this criteria, the team at Fortune concluded Mason, Ohio, which sits between Cincinnati and Dayton and has a population of just over 35,000, was the fourth best for families.

Here’s what Fortune’s Chloe Berger had to say about Mason:

The City of Mason is the largest city in Warren County, an area also known as Ohio’s Largest Playground. It’s an adrenaline lover’s paradise, as the city boasts two major theme parks — one of the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water parks, and Kings Island, a 364-acre amusement park that’s home to the Beast, the world’s longest wooden roller coaster, which was once featured on “The Brady Bunch.”
Parents have their choice of highly rated schools in the area, and residents of all ages appreciate Mason’s communal spirit and small-town feel. The Grizzly Golf and Social Lounge is a popular gathering place to play a round, enjoy a meal, and listen to Mason’s lively music scene.
The city is dedicated to building a wellness culture and offers affordable recreational programs at the Mason Municipal Aquatic Center and Mason Community Center. Locals can also take advantage of the 301 acres of parks within Mason and fish, bird-watch, and make use of the sports facilities and public pools.
Mason is the site of Lenscrafters headquarters and the P&G Mason Business Center, which includes the main offices for several major P&G subdivisions, including oral care, personal health care, and pet care. The town also benefits from a tourist boom during the annual Western & Southern Open, which draws top tennis talent and is hosted in Mason’s Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Fortune said they also worked to make sure the spaces selected were more diverse and allowed for affordable housing. No state was allowed more than two cities chosen. The full methodology can be found right here.

Read the Top 25 places below: