Online residential real estate site
ZipRealty released its first annual ranking of the
Best Places for Families to Live and the Minneapolis area took the top spot.
The rankings were compiled by factoring each school district's "School Score" on ZipRealty, along with median price per square foot for homes in that district. The site's school scoring system measures the performance of each district based on test-score data as well as student-to-teacher ratios.
In naming the Minneapolis area best in the nation, the site singled out Westonka Public Schools for its high district rating. The site also suggested that residents are able to "hang out on Lake Minnetonka or take the kids into Minneapolis to catch a Twins game at Target Field."
In a press release on the findings, ZipRealty CEO Lanny Baker noted that people continue to relocate to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area because of affordable housing prices, quality school systems, numerous cultural activities, and a burgeoning economic sector.