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Forbes ranks Quincy eighth in list of best small
cities to raise family
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 Five-year-old
Will Hanlin walks through Madison Park with
his grandfather, Gene Hanlin, after his
grandfather picked him up from Madison
School on Oct. 18. Quincy is ranked No. 8
among the top 15 "Best Small Cities to Raise
a Family," according to Forbes magazine.
(H-W Photo/Michael Kipley)
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Published: 10/27/2010 | Updated: 10/30/2010
By
STEVE EIGHINGER
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Quincy is ranked No. 8 among
the top 15 "Best Small Cities to Raise a Family,"
according to Forbes magazine.
Forbes compared 126 cities with a population under
100,000 and ranked them on five quality-of-life
measures: short commute times, percentage of adults
with a high school degree, median household income,
rate of home ownership and housing affordability.
"This is a great honor for Quincy, something the
locals already know and appreciate," said Holly
Cain, executive director of the Quincy Area
Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Quincy ranked the highest among the top 15 cities in
cost of living and commute time. Forbes ranked
Quincy No. 4 in the nation in lowest cost of living
and No. 7 in shortest commute time(s).
Dubuque, Iowa, was ranked No. 1 overall, followed by
Manitowoc, Wis., Marquette, Mich., Midland, Mich.,
and Marshfield, Wis., in the top five. Twelve of the
top 15 cities listed are from the Midwest.
"Anytime you are recognized in something like this,
it means you must be doing something right," Mayor
John Spring said. "This will be a big plus for the
city, something that can be used as a marketing
tool. I see only positive things coming from this."
Quincy is the largest city within a 100-mile radius
and serves as regional hub for 600,000 people in
West-Central Illinois, Northeast Missouri and
southeast Iowa, according to the Great River
Economic Development Foundation.
Francesca Levy authored the article for Forbes.
"The choice of where to settle down and bring up
youngsters is based on a number of complex and
personal factors, many of which can't be measured in
a ranked list," Levy wrote. "But things like
affordability, education and jobs are often among
them -- and these off-the-radar metros have a great
deal to offer."
--seighinger@whig.com/221-3377
Forbes' top 15 small cities to raise a family
1. Dubuque, Iowa
2. Manitowoc, Wis.
3. Marquette, Mich.
4. Midland, Mich.
5. Marshfield, Wis.
6. Stevens Point, Wis.
7. Casper, Wyo.
8.
Quincy, Ill.
9. Helena, Mont.
10. Columbus, Ind.
11. Warsaw, Ind.
12. Minot, N.D.
13. Cheyenne, Wyo.
14. Fond du Lac, Wis.
15. Mankato, Minn.
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