Grand Rapids suburbs rank among best places to ‘raise a family’ in Michigan

Grand Rapids suburbs rank among best places to ‘raise a family’ in Michigan

East Grand Rapids refers to Gaslight Village as the “heart” of the city. Photo via fb.com

Two Grand Rapids suburbs are considered to be among the 10 best communities for families in Michigan.

East Grand Rapids and Forest Hills are No. 2 and No. 8 in the 2017 “Best Cities to Raise a Family in Michigan” ranking, which was posted by WalletHub today.

Rochester is No. 1 in the ranking.

WalletHub used 21 indicators to compare the 104 largest communities in the state, including school system quality, housing affordability and median family income.

East Grand Rapids

East Grand Rapids ranks in the top five in several categories.

The city has the fourth most families with children, fifth lowest violent crime rate and the fourth lowest percentage of families below the poverty line.

The suburb also has the fifth lowest divorce rate.

Forest Hills

Forest Hills tops the lowest divorce rate category, while Jenison and Allendale are second and third in the category.

Other West Michigan communities

Five other communities in West Michigan rank in the top 50:

Holland, No. 17
Allendale, No. 34
Jenison, No. 38
Grandville, No. 45
Norton Shores, No. 46

Grand Rapids is No. 65 in the ranking. The city is tied with Detroit, Ann Arbor and Traverse City in the most attractions category.

Top 10

1.   Rochester
2.   East Grand Rapids
3.   Beverly Hills
4.   Novi
5.   South Lyon
6.   Grosse Pointe Woods
7.   Troy
8.   Forest Hills
9.   Birmingham
10. Ann Arbor