Provo is among top 5 for families

PROVO — Married with children? Provo and Utah Valley are the place for you, according to the June issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.

Utahns won't be surprised that the rankings found the Provo metropolitan area one of America's five "Best Cities" for families. They might giggle at the high score the city got on the magazine's Bohemian Indicator.

The American Heritage dictionary defines Bohemian as "a person with artistic or literary interests who disregards conventional standards of behavior." Provo has a well-earned reputation as a haven for traditional family values and is conservative, mostly white and largely LDS.

Still, Kiplinger's Bohemian score for Provo was 126, well above the national average of 100 and better than three of the other four cities Kiplinger's ranked among the top five for families — Atlanta (116), Des Moines (100), Green Bay (79). Minneapolis/St. Paul scored 128.

Magazine editors said the index highlights areas with a strong "creative class" that included scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists and entertainers. In fact, the rankings include the name of a public policy professor at George Mason University who is the author of "The Rise of the Creative Class."

Richard Florida's book asserts that the 40 million Americans who create for a living drive economic growth and cultural vitality.

The Kiplinger/Richard Florida 25 Best Cities used that criteria to rank the top five cities for each of the five stages of life — young singles, midlevel professionals, married with kids, empty-nesters and retirees.

The criteria for the best cities for families balanced the needs of children with those of parents. Low crime and a low overall cost of living were important factors, as was a strong student-to-teacher ratio, wholesome environments and plenty of activities families can do together.

Vicki and Todd Franks have lived in Provo since 1990 and are raising four children ages 15, 12, 9 and 7.

"There are good schools," Vicki Franks said, and "we love the location. It's close to a major university, and there is access to entertainment and dining."

Ernie and Jean Knudsen moved to Provo 15 years ago from California and found less crime, better schools and more friends. Their five children prospered, and all now have college degrees.

"We wanted to find a better place for our children," Ernie Knudsen said. "We had a leg up on life here, better opportunities and friendships for the kids."