Sentatobia: The Best Place to Raise Kids

Senatobia is the best place in Mississippi to raise a family!

In its 2011 ranking of the best places in the U.S. to raise kids, Bloomberg and Businessweek.com ranked Senatobia as the best place in Mississippi to raise kids.  It is the fifth year for the list, which this year focused on smaller communities.

According to the ranking, Senatobia was chosen because it “is home to great schools and the campus of Northwest Mississippi College,” as well because of its lower cost of living, low crime rate, nearby recreational area of Arkabutla Lake, and the community’s proximity to the cultural and recreational amenities of the Memphis metro area.

Factors such as job growth, air quality, ethnic diversity, and access to surrounding recreational facilities also were considered.  School performance and safety weighed most heavily, but amenities and affordability also were important considerations.

The 2011 ranking focused on small cities, towns and villages with populations larger than their state median population but no larger than 50,000.  In keeping with the survey’s focus on middle-income communities, only places where the median family income was within 20 percent of the state median income were considered.  Using 2010 data specializing in demographic and lifestyle information, Bloomberg and Businessweek.com evaluated 5,418 places in the U.S., emphasizing a community’s number of schools, school performance, cost of living, and crime statistics.   Only one city in each state was selected.

Local leaders were not surprised by the city’s selection.  Mayor Alan Callicott said the report “validates all those things we’ve said for years . . . that Senatobia really is a nice place to live and raise a family!”

“This ranking just confirms what those of us who live here already know – Senatobia is a great place to be,” said Janie Mortimer, executive director of the Tate County Economic Development Foundation.  “Our schools are highly rated; we have a community college that's one of the best in the Southeast. Our quality of life is excellent.  Housing is affordable; we're within commuting distance of Memphis. We know we have a lot of things going for us and we’re glad that someone else was able to recognize that, too.  We are pleased!”

Shirley Trimm, general manager of The Democrat, said, “Although this is not new news to those of us already living here, it is wonderful to be recognized from outside our community.”