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NEW: Arlington ranks No. 3 on “top family-friendly cities” list

The playground outside the Lubber Run Community Center (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington is the No. 3 most family-friendly locale in the country, according to a new set of rankings.

Online real estate platform Opendoor compiled the “best cities for families” list, which is based on the presence of various amenities like playgrounds, community centers and pools.

“We found that most family friendly cities like Arlington have quite a few common features — whether that’s a small-town feel or plenty of outdoor spaces to explore,” said Opendoor’s Beatrice de Jong, the author of the rankings.

De Jong said Arlington gets high marks for schools, local businesses, family-friendly amenities and transportation.

“Many young professionals live here and the public schools are highly rated,” she said, listing the county’s selling points. “Good public transportation and a mix of urban and suburban. Very walkable and bikeable… Lots of restaurants, coffee shops and parks… Close to D.C. with great museums for kids. Local museums include: Arlington Arts Center, Arlington Historical Museum, etc. Parks include: Rocky Run Park, Lubber Run Park, Fort Barnard Park, etc.”

Per Opendoor, the top 15 family-friendly cities and towns are:

  1. Cambridge, MA
  2. Cliffside Park, NJ
  3. Arlington, VA
  4. Chandler, AZ
  5. Tracy, CA
  6. North Richland Hills, TX
  7. Denver, CO
  8. Portland, OR
  9. Boulder, CO
  10. Anaheim, CA
  11. Coral Gables, FL
  12. Kent, OH
  13. Ann Arbor, MI
  14. Mission, KS
  15. Avondale Estates, GA

The study’s methodology leans heavily on a user-editable mapping project.

The best cities for families are identified by analyzing and averaging the number of OpenStreetMap ‘family friendly’ tags that are within 3 miles of all addresses in a city where Opendoor Brokerage operates. These tags include: bench, community center, drinking water, garden, kindergarten, museum, park, picnic site, playground, school, swimming pool, supermarket, and waste basket.

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