Morton Grove Ranked 3rd Best Place in U.S. to Raise Kids

The Village of Morton Grove was recently ranked as the third "Best Place in the U.S. to Raise Kids" by Businessweek.

Criteria used for Businessweek’s rankings were based on several key factors, which Morton Grove exemplified, including high-performing schools, low crime and recreational outlets.

“We were very pleased, I think it’s a wonderful distinction to have this honor,” said Morton Grove Village Board Trustee Maria Toth. “For me, personally, I’m close to 20 years being here as a resident. And we actually chose Morton Grove for a number of those reasons. We liked it, it was charming, the location was wonderful for us and the schools were really good.”

Overall, 4,169 places were evaluated by Businessweek and Bloomberg Rankings. These places all had a “crime index of 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,” according to Businessweek.

Nestled in between larger towns such as Niles and Skokie, Morton Grove has a smaller population of 23,464 and a median family income of $83,601. But numbers aside, it's the uniqueness and resources availbe to residents which really makes Morton Grove special.

Only 15 miles from downtown Chicago, the village offers the best of both worlds with CTA public transportation as well as an , which are perfect for youngsters.

“I think this a compliment to all of the families in the community,” said Morton Grove Park District Director Brian Sullivan. “Realistically, it’s not a community that just drives up, drops the child off and leaves. They are very involved in their kids’ lives; they are very tight-knit groups who participate jointly in what they do.”

With 14 parks, two pools and an ice rink, families certainly have numerous options for outdoor entertainment. Sullivan said the community also often combines their resources, such as the park district utilizing school facilities to run afterschool programs.  

“There's a phrase here: 'we’ve built on a tradition of service with a future of promise' and that promise is that we are always going to provide quality services for our residents,” Sullivan said. “Our biggest goal is to make sure there is a huge return on their investment and their investment is not just their tax dollars, but their time, their energy and their belief in what they want to see.”

High-performing Morton Grove , School, and were also deciding factors in the rankings. While there is not a high school within the village, these schools are the core of the community when it comes to education.  

“We have a very diverse population in the school and it’s just a wonderful environment to be in,” said District 67 Superintendent Dr. Jaime Reilly. “I find that the parents in this community really view education as a collaboration between the school and the home. And you have to have both pieces working together to be successful.”

District 67 also falls within the percentage of Illinois public schools that meet the requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act, she said.  

“Only 20 percent of the districts in the state are able to claim that right now and we are one of them,” Dr. Reilly said. “The students here in District 67 perform amazing well, consistently well, on all of the testing that is required by the state.”

A diverse population linked with a family-friendly community certainly makes the village an attractive location. But as Trustee Toth put it best, it's no secret to residents that Morton Grove has a lot to offer for families. 

“I think it’s kind of nice because it validates what we’ve known all along,” Toth said. “It’s nice for somebody else to sort of put it in context for other people to know that Morton Grove is a great place to live and to raise kids.“ 

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Read the entire Businessweek story here.