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This article might not start with 'Florida man...,' but you should definitely keep reading to see the best places to raise a family in The Sunshine State because it's just as informative. Incidentally, if you think that the only reason to bring your family to Florida is Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, think again. This state has a lot of great places for families and HomeSnacks is here to tell you where those places are located: we've created a list of the top ten most family friendly places in Florida for 2022 and listed them below.
But, before we divulge the top ten best places for families in America's southernmost contiguous state, you need to know how HomeSnacks arrived at this conclusive list. First, we had to narrow down our search criteria so we looked at the latest Census for Florida cities with at least 10,000 residents. And with seven of the best cities to raise a family in the country located in Florida, it was quite the feat. But, we did it.
We also looked at the number of family friendly amenities each city has; and, readers, as you can imagine, there is no shortage of fun for families in the state where the sun shines close to 265 days/year. Yes, not only can the kids play outside ALL day most of the year, you can wear them out with beach trips to places like Clearwater and/or trips to Fort Lauderdale's infamous biking trails.
So, if you're looking for safe, family friendly Florida places with plenty of activities to keep your family happy and healthy, keep reading.
The 10 Best Cities To Raise A Family In Florida For 2022
We analyzed 144 cities in Florida by ranking cities based upon "family-friendliness" factors like crime levels, quality of schools, and family activities.
What's the best place for families in Florida? There was one clear winner: Parkland ranked as the best place for famileis in Florida based on the data. If you haven't heard of Parkland, then you need to get to the Google Search bar. Parkland scored an 8.5/10 on our SnackAbility scale.
Interested to see how your favorite Florida city stacked on the family-friendliness scale? Read on to learn more about our methodology and to see more detailed information about our top ten best cities in Florida to raise a family in 2022.
Check out some more reading about Florida and the best places for families in the country:
- Best Places To Live In Florida
- Cheapest Places To Live In Florida
- Best Cities To Raise A Family In America
- Best States To Raise A Family In America
The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Florida For 2022
Why? Parkland has one of the highest percentages of families with kids on our list, so there will be plenty of kids to play with when you move here.
There are also plenty of high paying jobs, great schools, and it's crazy safe.
Located in Southern Florida, just North of Miami, this Broward County city should be Florida's poster city for family friendly. #GoodWork
/10
Population: 32,878
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 36
Closest Major City: Hialeah
Households with kids: 52.0%
More on Parkland: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
We think the name says it all, folks. Everything in Niceville has to be nice, right?
More importantly, this Choctawhatchee Bay city crushed our snackability scale with high marks across the board. It's like a big Florida playground for big and little kids alike.
Formerly known as Boggy, this Okaloosa County city's family household median income is close to $52,000/year! Just think of all the Niceville family friendly activities you can buy dough.
They definitely know what they're doing in Niceville.
/10
Population: 15,619
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 44
Closest Major City: Birmingham
Households with kids: 33.6%
More on Niceville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
This city in Orange County is another family friendly Disney-burb with tons of family friendly things to do.
Surrounded by water, Winter Park is a family friendly resort community with great shopping, art galleries, museums, parks, and multiple beaches.
And if you're stressed about where to send your kids to school, you can stop now. Winter Park has multiple blue ribbon elementary schools, three gold star high schools and six colleges. #Score
/10
Population: 30,764
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 65
Closest Major City: Orlando
Households with kids: 22.8%
More on Winter Park: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
This city in Osceola County scored off the charts in housing, diversity, and family friendly amenities.
They have close to ten parks, 32 miles of bike trails, and they are located near Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld, and Disney World.
And companies like Walt Disney, Walmart, and the Osceola County School District are providing a lot of opportunities for families to earn that cheddar. The median household income for Kissimmee is close to $37,000/year.
/10
Population: 72,410
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 55
Closest Major City: Orlando
Households with kids: 33.1%
More on Kissimmee: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
We believe that for a city to be truly family friendly, it needs to be safe, hip, diverse, and it has to have a ton of family friendly activities..
This little city in Miami-Dade County is just that. They scored an 8/10 for safety, a 7/10 for diversity, and a 9.5/10 for family activities.
Word in the street, it's also one of the youngest cities. Heck, their city's motto is "Growing Beautifully". Just think of the impact you and your family can have on an up and coming city.
/10
Population: 31,021
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 39
Closest Major City: Hialeah
Households with kids: 36.5%
More on Miami Lakes: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
This little Florida gem is one of the wealthiest cities in the country. And with all that wealth, comes nice, safe, communities, too many gold star schools to count, and family friendly activities that will keep your peeps entertained for days.
Did we mention that a taste of old Naples can still be found in two orange groves still in business. So, if keeping your family healthy with fresh Vitamin C is important to you, ya better get a movin' to this Southern Florida city.
/10
Population: 21,750
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 79
Closest Major City: Hialeah
Households with kids: 9.4%
More on Naples: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Located on the East side of the Sunshine State, just off the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa has something for everyone. Amazing food, great parks, beaches, sunshine...the list goes on.
Tampa's population is growing by leaps and bounds. They are gaining approximately 97,000 residents per year. If you are looking for diverse neighborhoods, lively neighborhoods, quaint, quiet neighborhoods, and/or beachside neighborhoods, Tampa is your town.
So, grab the fam, pack the Woody, and head to "The Big Guava," cuz the ocean is calling your name.
/10
Population: 395,912
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 100
Households with kids: 27.1%
More on Tampa: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Weston scored a 9.5/10 on or snackability scale with an emphasis on low crime, education, and family friendly amenities.
Not surprising considering they've been deemed "the biggest earners" with a median family income of close to $120,000/year. According to the job research site, Zippia, top employers in software, banking, and logistics have been keeping Weston families employed, entertained, and happy.
And the less time Weston residents have to worry about the big things, the more time they have to hang out at one of their 15 parks.
/10
Population: 70,965
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 45
Closest Major City: Hialeah
Households with kids: 51.8%
More on Weston: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 140,479
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 59
Closest Major City: Hialeah
Households with kids: 37.2%
More on Miramar: Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 115,975
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 68
Closest Major City: St. Petersburg
Households with kids: 21.9%
More on Clearwater: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in Florida anyways?
To give you the places in Florida which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what's family-friendly and what isn't.
So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.
How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Sunshine State
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Florida, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)
We then gave each city a Family Score.
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 10,000 people. For Florida, that meant a total of 144 cities. You can download the data here.
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In Florida
If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in Florida ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
Here's a look at the best cities for singles Florida according to the data:
- Gainesville
- Cocoa Beach
- Belle Glade
For more Florida reading, check out:
Where Are The Best Places For Families In Florida?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parkland, FL | 32,878 |
| 2 | Niceville, FL | 15,619 |
| 3 | Winter Park, FL | 30,764 |
| 4 | Kissimmee, FL | 72,410 |
| 5 | Miami Lakes, FL | 31,021 |
| 6 | Naples, FL | 21,750 |
| 7 | Tampa, FL | 395,912 |
| 8 | Weston, FL | 70,965 |
| 9 | Miramar, FL | 140,479 |
| 10 | Clearwater, FL | 115,975 |
