The Best Places to Raise Your Kids 2009

Oklahoma

Lawton

Nearest city: Oklahoma City

Population: 89,304

Median household income: $47,988

Lawton has been named by a major business magazine as the best place in Oklahoma to raise children, and the Lawton Public Schools is one of the reasons why. The Nov. 7 edition of BusinessWeek magazine named 50 U.S. cities—one in each state—where homes were affordable, incomes were good, and the environment for raising children was positive.

To be eligible for selection, communities had to have at least $50,000 residents and the median family income had to be between $40,000 - $100,000. Primary criteria also included the performance and number of local schools, low crime rate, air quality, job growth, diversity, and access to such amenities as museums, parks, and theaters.

This was the second year that BusinessWeek has published such a list. Runners up in Oklahoma were Midwest City and Broken Arrow.