Children’s Health Magazine Reveals America’s 100 Best (and Worst) Places to Raise a Family

NEW YORK-(Business Wire)-September 14, 2009 - Children’s Health magazine, a special newsstand issue published by Rodale Inc., announced today its list of the top 100 best (and worst!) places in America to raise a family. The magazine, which focuses on health, nutrition and educational guidance for parents of babies, toddlers and beyond, is the result of a first-of-its-kind partnership between the editors of Rodale’s Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines. Children’s Health, which features an exclusive cover shoot and interview with First Lady Michelle Obama, will be available for $5.99 starting September 15.

Burlington, Vermont tops the list of the best places to raise a family in America according to Children’s Health, which ranks 100 major U.S. cities.

Children’s Health conducted a statistical analysis of cities around the country and researched more than 30 factors that parents consider to be vitally important including crime and safety, education, economics, housing, cultural attractions and health. The editors compiled statistics from the most authoritative sources in the country including the Centers for Disease Control, FBI, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and a wide variety of independent experts.

Located on beautiful Lake Champlain, life in Burlington is more than just scenic views and colorful fall foliage. It also receives highest marks in the country for schools’ per-pupil spending, graduation rates, percentage of the population with advanced degrees and median family income. “Its population is also exceptionally healthy,” says Stephen Perrine, Men’s Health Editor at Large and Children’s Health Editor. “Burlington has the fewest fast-food restaurants per capita so it’s no surprise that the city has less obesity than anywhere else in the country.”

Following Burlington in the list of top 10 best places to raise a family are Madison, Wisconsin (2), Fargo, North Dakota (3), Lincoln, Nebraska (4), Fremont, California (5), Lexington, Kentucky (6), Honolulu, Hawaii (7), Cheyenne, Wyoming (8), Omaha, Nebraska (9) and Yonkers, New York (10).

Detroit, Michigan ranks as the worst place in America to raise a family followed by Miami, Florida (99), Orlando, Florida (98), Memphis, Tennessee (97), Fresno, California (96), Cleveland, Ohio (95), Tampa, Florida (94), Phoenix, Arizona (93), Las Vegas, Nevada (92) and Toledo, Ohio (91).

The complete list, as cited in the special newsstand issue Children’s Health, is available at http://www.childrenshealthmag.com/bestplaces.

In addition to its revealing interview with the First Lady (who shares her secrets for keeping her family fit and healthy), highlights in Children’s Health include:

Dr. Mehmet Oz’s five most critical health tips for new parents
Advice on inspiring children to read from popular children’s author (and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature) Jon Scieszka
A first look at the upcoming Rodale book The New American Diet, which presents tips on protecting young children from obesity-causing chemicals in the environment
An authoritative comparison of all the top diaper brands—tried and tested at Rodale’s own company day care center, near its home office of Emmaus, Pennsylvania

Sponsors of the issue include General Mills, P&G, Ralph Lauren and Vtech. With the publication of this issue, Rodale will be making a donation to various charities that support children's health including Give the Kids the World and Save the Children.

For more information, please visit www.childrenshealthmag.com.

About Rodale Inc.

Rodale is a global media company with a heritage, mission, and authority dedicated to the health and wellness of the individual, community, and planet. Through a broad portfolio of leading media properties, Rodale reaches more than 70 million people around the world through multiple distribution channels, including magazines, books, online, e-commerce, direct-to-consumer, and video. The company publishes some of the best-known health and wellness lifestyle magazines, including Men’s Health, Prevention, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Mountain Bike, Running Times, and Organic Gardening, and is the largest independent book publisher in the United States, with a collection of bestselling titles, including Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, The South Beach Diet, Eat This, Not That!, and Flat Belly Diet! Rodale is also a leader in direct-response marketing and has more than 25 million active customers in its database. www.rodaleinc.com