Congratulations!
Wilson's very own Dr. Kepka was been named the 2011
National Rural Health Practitioner of the Year by the
National Rural Health Association. In recognition of this
wonderful achievement a sign honoring Dr. Kepka is located
at the corner of K-232 and 25th Street.
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Family-friendly and Affordable
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Read this Story & Related on Businessweek.com
Bloomberg.com - December 14, 2010
By Venessa
Wong and Joel Stonington
No matter how hard you try, raising a family is complicated,
not to mention expensive. For parents juggling concerns
about their children’s safety, schools, expenses, and after
school activities—and who also need to go to work on top of
all this—living in the right place won’t solve all problems,
but it can offer their children more opportunities and
enhance the family’s lifestyle. In our fifth annual ranking
of best places to raise kids, Bloomberg and Businessweek.com
shifted our focus from large, urbanized places to smaller
towns and cities.
Using 2010 data from
Onboard Informatics, a real estate information and
technology company in New York, we evaluated a total of
5,418 locations nationwide with populations larger than the
state median but no larger than 50,000. We considered only
locations where the median income is within 20 percent of
the state’s median. The rankings put the most weight on
school performance and the number of schools, crime
statistics, and cost of living. Other factors included job
growth, air quality, ethnic diversity, and access to
recreational amenities (within the county), such as parks,
zoos, theaters, and museums.
The following places we selected are neither rich suburbs
nor havens for luxury living—so don’t expect to find
mansions and elite country clubs (although some areas will
have them). Rather, these are communities inhabited mostly
by middle-income earners that have good public schools, low
crime, and resources to keep the family entertained on
weekends.
Best place to raise kids in Kansas: Wilson
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See Wilson's Page at BusinessWeek.com
Ellsworth County I-R
By
Alan Rusch
WILSON — Where is the best place in Kansas to raise kids?
According to Businessweek.com’s fifth annual survey, it’s
Wilson.
Venessa Wong, who wrote the Dec. 14 story for
Businessweek.com, said the 2011 survey, which uses data
from Onboard Information, a New York-based real estate data
company that specializes in residential demographic and
lifestyle information, focused on small cities, towns and
villages with populations larger than the median for the
state, but no greater than 50,000.
A total of 5,418 places in the United States were evaluated.
"We emphasized a community’s number of schools, school
performance, cost of living and crime statistics," Wong
said. "We also accounted for factors such as job growth, air
quality, ethnic diversity and access to the surrounding
county’s parks, zoos, theaters and other recreational
facilities."
Wong said there were several reason why the community of 711
residents in western Ellsworth County was chosen. They
include:
• A median family income of $59,411 — well below that of
the median state income of $64,503.
• Students in Wilson Schools scored above the state
average on standardized math and reading assessments.
• The crime rate in Wilson is well below the national
average.
"According to our data, it’s just a safe, affordable place
to live and raise kids," Wong said.
"We appreciate being recognized," said Wilson Mayor Eleanor
Hunter. "Being the Czech Capital of Kansas, I think we have
worked hard towards the goal of being a friendly and helpful
town. Even though we are small, we’re mighty."
When I got the e-mail, I was thrilled," said Sharon
Holloway, president of the Wilson Chamber of Commerce. "It
is an excellent place to raise kids, because there is so
much to do around here within 50 miles. We’re just in the
middle of everything. It’s also an excellent place to
retire, because it’s safe."
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The Case Foundation announces that David Criswell, Wilson, Kansas was selected among the Top 20 breakthrough
ideas for his "Wilson For The Ages"
Make It Your Own Awards
grant. This grant program aims to increase and strengthen citizen involvement in communities and introduce a more inclusive and innovative approach to foundation grant making. (Grant monies received from the
project directly benefit the Wilson Community.) |
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