Best Places To Raise A Family In New York For 2020

New York is a pretty big deal. The Empire State has the Big Apple, it's the foruth most populous state in America, and it has some pretty larger than life places for families. And HomeSnacks has done every parent and guardian a solid and created a list of the top ten best place for families in New York for 2020 and listed them below.

We are family people here at HomeSnacks and we have all had to move our families a time or two, so we know what's important when it comes time to make moves that are going to affect the family dynamic. And those factors include things like: is a place safe? Are there other households with kiddos? Are the schools in said place top notch? And, is the place located close to a large city so that your family can take advantage of cultural and social experiences?

Parents and guardians looking to move to New York, you'll be happy to know that the state is currently of the safest states in the country; and if you can get your hands on one of the best places to raise a family in this state, know that you're going to sleep well because they are some of the state's safest. New York also holds close to 400 blue ribbon schools and places on this list like Elmira are the example to follow.

And if you want to know what places on our list are located close to New York's biggest cities and what places have the most kiddos? You're going to have to keep reading.

We analyzed 46 cities and ranked them based on "family-friendliness" factors, like crime rates and quality of schools. If you are from New York, maybe you can guess which city made it to the top of the list.

That's right, Rye, NY, ranks first. In Rye, you can be in Manhattan in as little as 40 minutes but still live outside of the main city. Sounds like a dream come true, right?

Many of the cities on our list are actually located close to New York City. You can take a quick train into the big city and be able to enjoy life in the fast lane without having to live in it.

So where will you raise your family? Near the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple or in the mountain towns in Upstate New York? Wherever you pick, you can be sure your children will have magical childhoods. Read on to learn more about our methodology and to see why our top ten are the best of the best for families in New York for 2020.

Check out some more reading about New York and the best places for families in the country:

• Best Places To Live In New York
• Cheapest Places To Live In New York
• 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 New York For 2020

1. Rye

Source: Wikipedia User JayHeritageCent | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 15,862
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 43
Closest Major City: New York
Households with kids: 41.5%
More on Rye: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until it received its charter as a city in 1942. The population was 15,720 at the 2010 census. Rye is the youngest city in New York state. No other city has been chartered anywhere in New York state since 1942.

2. Geneva

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 12,888
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 55
Closest Major City: Rochester
Households with kids: 29.3%
More on Geneva: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. It is located at the northern end of Seneca Lake; all land portions of the city are within Ontario County; the water portions are in Seneca County. The population was 13,261 at the 2010 census. The city is supposedly named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. The main settlement of the Seneca was spelled Zoneshio by early white settlers, and was described as being 2 miles north of Seneca Lake.

3. Elmira

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 27,695
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 63
Closest Major City: Rochester
Households with kids: 34.4%
More on Elmira: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.

Review Of Elmira by HomeSnacks User

Elmira was a nice small city with lots of areas around it Pine City, Elmira Heights, Horseheads, Big Flats, Corning so it is quite a large area of people and places. The city has tried to come back after the flood which took a lot of the buildings. It is not bad here at all I am mad they put it on the list..

Review Where You Live

4. Glen Cove

Source: Wikipedia User Michael Sean Ga | CC BY-SA 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 27,226
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 51
Closest Major City: New York
Households with kids: 31.2%
More on Glen Cove: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Glen Cove is a city in Nassau County, New York, United States, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 26,964.

5. Canandaigua

Source: Wikipedia User Daniel Case | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 10,348
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 56
Closest Major City: Rochester
Households with kids: 23.4%
More on Canandaigua: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are located at the county complex in the adjacent town of Hopewell.

6. Port Washington

Source: Wikipedia User DanTD (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 15,600
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 37
Closest Major City: New York
Households with kids: 35.4%
More on Port Washington: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the community population was 15,846.

7. Peekskill

Source: Wikipedia User Daniel Case | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 24,008
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 44
Closest Major City: Jersey City
Households with kids: 33.4%
More on Peekskill: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Peekskill, officially the City of Peekskill, is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Peekskill is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point. The population was 23,583 during the 2010 census.

8. Beacon

Source: Wikipedia User chrisrun | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 14,279
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 61
Closest Major City: Jersey City
Households with kids: 28.6%
More on Beacon: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York-Newark-Bridgeport, New York-New Jersey-Connecticut-Pennsylvania Combined Statistical Area. It was named to commemorate the historic beacon fires that blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains to alert the Continental Army about British troop movements.

9. Poughkeepsie

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 30,356
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 55
Closest Major City: Jersey City
Households with kids: 28.1%
More on Poughkeepsie: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Poughkeepsie, officially the City of Poughkeepsie, is a city in the state of New York, United States, which is the county seat of Dutchess County. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 32,736. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson Valley midway between New York City and Albany, and is part of the New York metropolitan area. The name derives from a word in the Wappinger language, roughly U-puku-ipi-sing, meaning "the reed-covered lodge by the little-water place," referring to a spring or stream feeding into the Hudson River south of the present downtown area.

10. Corning

Source: Wikipedia User Pete716 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 10,789
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 57
Closest Major City: Rochester
Households with kids: 25.7%
More on Corning: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 11,183 at the 2010 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company that developed the community. The city is best known as the headquarters of Fortune 500 company Corning Incorporated, formerly Corning Glass Works, a manufacturer of glass and ceramic products for industrial, scientific and technical uses.

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How do you determine which place is best for families in New York anyways?

To give you the places in New York 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 Empire 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 New York, 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 New York, that meant a total of 46 cities. You can download the data here.

There You Have It - The Best Places To Raise A Family In New York

If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in New York 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 New York according to the data:

1. Binghamton
2. Niagara Falls
3. Cohoes

For more new york reading, check out:

• Safest Places In New York According To Science
• Best Places To Live In New York
• Richest Cities In New York

Where Are The Best Places For Families In New York?