BusinessWeek Magazine Votes Tinley Park The Best Place To Raise Children

By Anna Deem in News on Nov 29, 2009 8:00PM

Following up on their decision to name Mount Prospect the best place in the U.S. to raise children in 2008, BusinessWeek magazine has passed the title on to Tinley Park for 2009. Unlike their magazine rival, Forbes, who has voted Chicago the nation's most stressful city for the past two years, it seems like BusinessWeek may have a bit of a crush on the suburbs of Chicago.

To make their decision, BusinessWeek takes into account home prices, school test rankings, crime levels, population, air quality, job growth, diversity, and many other factors. According to the trade magazine, Tinley Park was picked because, "It has great schools, a vibrant downtown and housing options that range from modest to luxurious. Oak Park Avenue, which serves as a Main Street shopping area, includes a beautiful town square where residents gather and children ride bicycles. Tinley Park also has a 28,000-seat outdoor concert amphitheater, one of the largest in the Chicago area."

Although the memory of the brutal murder of five women at a Lane Bryant store on Feb. 2, 2008 may still linger, Tinley Park has tried to move past that, focusing on their scholastic standards. Andrew High School ranks 74th of 656 high schools in the state, while Tinley Park High School ranks 95th. Mayor Ed Zabrocki, who has held the position since 1981, commented on his city's new title to the Chicago Tribune, "We didn't seek this award, but it's a validation of the work the whole community has done over the years," he said. "This is middle America at its best: family values and hard work."