The Best Cities for New Families

When New Yorkers Bari Nan Cohen and Jeff Rothchild vacationed in Park City, Utah, a few years ago, it changed their lives. The couple was gearing up to start a family and saw that Park City was a young community with lots of kids. Cohen, a freelance magazine writer, loved the idea that in Utah she could afford to work part-time once the baby arrived, and Rothchild, who longed to open his own marketing company, thought he could make a go of it there. "We could never do that in New York City," she says.

After explaining themselves to befuddled family and friends, they packed up and moved across the country. The result? Both parents now work for themselves and enjoy a better quality of life with their son Lance, now 2. "We bike with Lance in a trailer and hike with him at local resorts," says Cohen. Their new home meets the needs of this growing family in ways they couldn't have imagined.

Whether you're looking for a new place to call home or just curious about what other towns have to offer, the following pages will give you a picture of what family life is like across the map.