That’s right – little ‘ole Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech, was named the best place in the country to raise kids, according to Business Week. Fair Housing laws prevent me from talking about whether a community is “family-friendly” or not, but certainly I can report the news, can’t I?
From the article:
With help from Bloomberg Rankings, Businessweek.com evaluated 4,169 places with a crime index less than 10 percent above the national average, populations between 1,000 and 50,000 people, and median family income within 20 percent of the state median, using data from real estate information firm Onboard Informatics.
We evaluated educational factors (such as school scores, the number of public and private schools, and colleges), economic factors (including median family income, expenses, job growth, and unemployment), crime, amenities (such as child day-care centers, zoos, aquariums, museums, theaters, recreation centers, green space), air quality, and ethnic diversity. School performance, expenditures, and income were given the most weight.
Well there you have it. Game, set, match. When are you moving here?
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Or “a community doesn’t make us, we make a community”
Maybe that’s it, Kelsey – “Blacksburg is one of them”.
I love Blacksburg’s natural beauty, diverse population, sense of community, and innovative, cutting edge culture. There are many wonderful places to raise kids, and in my opinion, Blacksburg is one of them.
“Ben”, sorry you seem to have such a problem with our area. It sounds as if, wherever you live, you’ve managed to find the black hole of the Town.
Honestly, I’ve admitted to several people who’ve mentioned the distinction that I think the stats are dubious, but nevertheless the recognition is still positive. Was there an unforgettable event on Virginia Tech’s campus in 2007? Undoubtedly, and you’ll never see anyone try and downplay that. What happened was horrific, and no community – let alone ours – should never have to go through that again. Did a middle school student do something stupid? I’m sure, I seem to remember seeing something about that reported in the news … and I’m not trying to cover over the event, but what middle school student HASN’T done something stupid? For that matter, what adult hasn’t done something so stupid that they looked back at it and said “well I’m lucky I didn’t get caught for that. I should probably never do that again.”? And subsidized housing exists everywhere – except, likely, your neighborhood of Hollywood Hills. Everyone needs a place to live, I’m sure you can’t argue that; there are some fantastic people in our community, and their place of residence has nothing to do with whether or not they improve the community they live in.
Look, I’m sorry you seem to have such a problem living here. I’ve been here 10 years, and I’ve learned that there’s a heck of a lot to love about this area. I don’t know how long you’ve lived here, I don’t know what brought you here, and I don’t know how long you’ll stay – but I hope that during your time here you can find something here to be proud of. I know I have.
Are you kidding me? I’m pretty sure some wealthy Virginia Tech donors paid for this recognition, hoping to undo the stigma associated with the town after 33 students and faculty were gunned down in a classroom on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA in 2007. Not long after that, a child in the Middle School was caught with a locker full of guns…but of course that little incident never made it to the media, because there are some powerful people associated with Blacksburg, VA, and they WANT you to think it’s a safe place to raise your kids.
If that isn’t enough to make you question this BS recognition, let me tell you about the meth labs in Blacksburg that the police refuse to bust. If you think living in a wealthy neighborhood will protect you, think again. Subsidized housing is just over the hill from million dollar homes, with the meth producers dumping toxic waste in the fields between the neighborhoods, so if your kids wander through the adjacent field with the dog, they will probably be exposed to some of the most toxic chemicals on the planet. The police have been notified multiple times about the meth production going on, but they do nothing…it would probably damage the image wealthy donors are trying to create for Blacksburg if police actually busted the meth labs. This is a BS recognition, bought and paid for. Blacksburg is NOT an ideal place to raise children.