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Missing: Children?

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  • Missing: Children?

    An interesting article in the New York Times, noting that some of the most "happening" and prosperous cities are surprisingly lacking in the number of young families. Living in Mililani, I feel like there are kids everywhere, but this is one suburb where "family" is central to its identity. Overall, the piece brings up some interesting statistics.

    Vibrant Cities Find One Thing Missing: Children
    Timothy Egan, New York Times, March 24, 2005
    San Francisco, where the median house price is now about $700,000, had the lowest percentage of people under 18 of any large city in the nation, 14.5 percent, compared with 25.7 percent nationwide, the 2000 census reported. Seattle, where there are more dogs than children, was a close second. Boston, Honolulu, Portland, Miami, Denver, Minneapolis, Austin and Atlanta, all considered, healthy, vibrant urban areas, were not far behind. The problem is not just that American women are having fewer children, reflected in the lowest birth rate ever recorded in the country.

    Officials say that the very things that attract people who revitalize a city - dense vertical housing, fashionable restaurants and shops and mass transit that makes a car unnecessary - are driving out children by making the neighborhoods too expensive for young families.

  • #2
    Re: Missing: Children?

    Families don't need dense vertical housing and fancy stores and restaurants, we need parks, low crime rates, good schools, and, most importantly, a decent-sized house with a yard for low money. I don't think there is any major city that can provide these things.

    I live on the Sammamish Plateau in a wonderful family community--30 minutes from downtown Seattle. There are sidewalks, parks, trails, swimming pools, excellent schools, and cultural diversity here (in my cul de sac, there are families from China, Korea, Holland, Columbia, and India!). We even have our own security that patrols the neighborhood 24 hours a day. Our spacious house would probably cost about $250,000 more in Seattle. It's a no-brainer as to where to live.
    * I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. *
    - Anna Quindlen

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