To select the Best Places to Live for Families in each state, Fortune evaluated nearly 1,900 cities, towns, suburbs, exurbs, villages, and townships that had approximately 20,000 residents across all 50 states in the U.S. This range provided a broad universe of places that offered high-quality amenities in communities with a hometown feel. Silver Spring was ranked 3rd on the list.
“Located just six miles north of Washington, D.C., Silver Spring residents can enjoy proximity to the nation’s capital without sacrificing the charm of smaller-town life. While locals can easily commute to D.C. for work or pleasure via public transit options like the Washington Metro or MARC Train, Silver Spring offers plenty to do within its bounds. The suburb prides itself as the site of a state-designated arts and entertainment district, and has worked to woo artists, arts organizations, and other creative companies. It’s home to more than 50 arts and humanities associations, art venues, and entertainment firms.
The city’s downtown area and adjacent Fenton Village neighborhood offer residents a plethora of stores, restaurants, spas, markets, and studios—more than 200 small businesses overall—to peruse. The town also plays host to a range of festivals, including the Silver Spring Jazz Festival, which draws 20,000 visitors a year.
Part of the reason families enjoy Silver Spring is the quality education available within its bounds. GreatSchools gave 42% of local Montgomery County public schools an above-average rating, and nearly nine in 10 students complete high school here. Sandwich-generation residents looking after older relatives benefit from 73 assisted living facilities rated above average by Caring.com within a 50-mile radius. The site named the suburb the 16th best spot for seniors to live in the nation this year.—KR”
To help thoroughly analyze each place, Fortune reviewed more than 200,000 unique data points across five broad categories:
- Education
- Aging resources
- General wellness
- Financial health
- Livability
This ranking focused on multigenerational families, many of whom are shouldering the responsibilities of raising their own children while caring for aging parents. With their needs in mind, Fortune paid particular attention to factors that met the unique challenges of this cohort—such as the quality of local public schools, graduation rates, nearby college affordability, the number of quality nursing homes, assisted living communities, home health care agencies, risk of social isolation among older residents, and access to solid health care providers.