Oro Valley named top place in state to raise kids
Reporter: Justin Schecker
ORO VALLEY (KGUN9-TV) - What do you look for when choosing a place to raise your kids?
According to a national survey by Bloomberg and Businessweek, the best place to raise kids in our state is right here in Southern Arizona.
Oro Valley earned the top spot.
Linda Block moved to Oro Valley in the mid-1980s so her son could attend Canyon del Oro High School.
She says safety was on her mind.
"They could come to the park, walk to the park," she said. "My son could walk home when he got back from band practice."
Now, Block brings her grandkids to that same park across from the high school.
Bloomberg and Businessweek naming Oro Valley the best place in Arizona to raise kids reflects how much the town has changed since it was founded in 1974, Town Manager Greg Caton told 9 On Your Side.
"We were really going to be a retirement community and now we have as many people under the age of 18 as we do over 65," Caton said.
Caton told 9 On Your Side that Oro Valley continues investing in what makes it appealing to families, such as its public safety, parks and pools.
When it comes to school safety, the town continues funding its resource officer unit.
The renovated Oro Valley Aquatic Center and brand new water slide opens Friday for the public.
"It's a $5 million investment in about a $10 million facility that is investing in our kids, in our families," Caton said.
Alexandra Yarborough hopes to move her family to Oro Valley. Her oldest daughter already attends a charter school there.
"Next year my son will be here as well, so it would be a lot more convenient for us," Yarborough said. "We just want to live in a nice, friendly, clean area and I think the residents here do what they can to keep it that way."
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