When Summer and Drew Johnston were searching for their dream home a few years ago, they looked at more than 80 houses before they decided on one a few blocks from the square in Downtown Frankfort.
They wanted a small-town feel with a unique atmosphere where they could raise their three children, ages 18, 7 and 5, Summer Johnston said.
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“We chose to live in Frankfort because of what the community has to offer and their downtown area in particular,” she said. “We really like all the events; the different lifestyle we could have being so close to everything, and the schools are absolutely wonderful. I’m now Frankfort’s number-one fan.”
The Johnstons fall right in line with a new report released by personal finance website WalletHub that ranks Frankfort as the ninth-best city for families in Illinois. It was the only Southland community to make it into the top 10, finishing just above Naperville. However, six Southland municipalities found themselves listed in the bottom 10 of the rankings — Harvey, Dolton, Blue Island, Bridgeview, Calumet City and Country Club Hills.
Frankfort Village Administrator Jerald Ducay said he was not surprised his village was ranked high. “Frankfort has always been a community that anyone who lives here knows is a great place to live and to raise a family,” he said. “We have a unique atmosphere that often catches the eye of many of these reports, and it is an acknowledgment of the environment that we enjoy here in Frankfort.”
Morton, a town outside of Peoria, was ranked at the top of the list.
The report looked at data from outside agencies, and ranked 21 different metrics or qualities under the categories of family life and fun; education, health and safety; affordability; and the socioeconomic environment.
On a scale of one to 100, each town was awarded points based on what they had to offer, such as the number of playgrounds per 100,000 residents; attractions such as zoos, museums and theaters; and the number of families with children under 18. Other factors such as schools systems, air quality, crime, the percentage of two-parent families and those families living below the poverty line were some of the other factors that were measured.
Each metric was given a value between 0 and 100, with 100 being the best value and zero the worst. Once the data was gathered, it was ranked and 15 experts reviewed and signed off on the study, according to Jill Gonzalez, an analyst for WalletHub.
She added that the report is important for, and geared toward families as part of an effort to help them find the community that best suits their needs and wants.
“We are anticipating that in 2016, families might think it’s a good time to move and who want to zero in on hyper-local questions,” Gonzalez said. “People are looking for information from a familial point of view and (the report) deals with education, health and safety; all the things that are important to them.”
Among the 162 towns referenced in the report, Harvey was second-to-last. just ahead of East St. Louis which was ranked last. Dolton was third on the worst list. Blue Island, Bridgeview and Calumet City were fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively; and Country Club Hills was ranked 10th-worst.
Representatives of all those municipalities were contacted, but only Blue Island Mayor Domingo Vargas responded, in a statement issued through the village’s public relations firm.
“The city of Blue Island strongly disagrees with this online ranking,” Vargas said in the statement. “Last year, Crain’s Chicago Business ranked our city as the best in Chicagoland for increasing home values. We are making great headway in reducing years long budget deficits and reconstructing bridges to improve public safety and provide opportunities for our families and businesses. The Cal-Sag trail is a great recreational asset for families here, and we are proud of our schools. We are working every day to build a better Blue Island for our families.”
Data used to create the rankings were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois State Board of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Renwood RealtyTrac LLC, SchoolDigger.com, Yelp, TripAdvisor and WalletHub research.
Patricia Trebe is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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Highlights of WalletHub’s ranking of Illinois’ best and worst places for families
Attractions: Evergreen Park tied at the bottom with Round Lake Beach.
Affordable housing: Park Forest ranked fourth.
Median salary (adjusted for cost of living): Harvey was second from last.
Lowest crime rate: Homer Glen came in third and Frankfort fifth; while Harvey ranked second from the bottom.
Families with children under 18: Palos Hills ranked in the bottom 10
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Lowest amount of families below the poverty line: Tied for third was New Lenox. Harvey was second-to-last.
Lowest divorce rate: Frankfort topped the list with Homer Glen coming in fourth and Lemont fifth. Calumet City was 160th.