Best Places To Raise A Family In Kentucky For 2020

Kentuckians love to sing 'My Old Kentucky Home' because it's such a great state. But Kentucky isn't just for some. It's for everyone: especially families. And HomeSnacks is here to tell you where the best places for families are located in the Bluegrass State for 2020.

How did we determine Kentucky's most family friendly places? We consulted the US Census on places in bluegrass country with more than 11,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 33 family friendly Kentucky places that any family would be lucky to call home. We discovered that there are places in Kentucky for every type of family. There are hip mommy and daddy towns like Danville, cool mountain towns like Morehead, and cowboy/cowgirl towns like Bowling Green for families that want to raise horse too.

Speaking of family entertainment, when Kentucky families are ready for some fun in the Midwest sun, there is plenty of family friendly fun to be had. We think the best family day in the Commonwealth of Kentucky would go something like this: first, a trip to Harland Sanders Cafe in North Corbin for a bucket of that famous Kentucky Fried Chicken; then, a quick stroll through campus at the University of Kentucky in Lexington (it's never too early to start planning for your kid's future); followed by a couple of spins on the ferris wheel at Louisville's Kentucky Kingdom.

So, if you're looking for safe, family friendly cities and neighborhoods, amazing schools, large green spaces, and just overall good family friendly fun, keep reading.

What do 1.7 millions families in Kentucky know that we don't? They know that Kentucky has great schools, great universities, and a lot of opportunity if your family is up for the challenge. And this is especially evident in Kentucky's number one best place to raise a family, Lawrenceburg.

If you want to see how Kentucky's other amazing best places to raise a family faired, take a look at the list below. And if you don't see your favorite there, head to the bottom.

Check out some more reading about Kentucky and the best places for families in the country:

• Best Places To Live In Kentucky
• Cheapest Places To Live In Kentucky
• Best Cities To Raise A Family In America
• Best States To Raise A Family In America

The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Kentucky For 2020

1. Lawrenceburg

Source: Wikipedia User Michael Howard | FAL

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 11,272
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 55
Closest Major City: Lexington
Households with kids: 39.7%
More on Lawrenceburg: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Lawrenceburg is a home rule-class city in Anderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,505 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of its county. Lawrenceburg is part of the Frankfort, Kentucky, micropolitan statistical area.

2. Shelbyville

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 15,660
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 57
Closest Major City: Louisville
Households with kids: 38.4%
More on Shelbyville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Shelbyville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,045 at the 2010 census.

3. Georgetown

Source: Wikipedia User FloNight (Sydne | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 32,902
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 62
Closest Major City: Lexington
Households with kids: 40.4%
More on Georgetown: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, in the United States. The 2016 population was 33,440 per the United States Census Bureau. It is the 7th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originally called Lebanon when founded by Rev. Elijah Craig and was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts college. Georgetown is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.

4. Bardstown

Source: Flickr User KellyReeves | CC BY-ND 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 13,042
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 66
Closest Major City: Louisville
Households with kids: 34.1%
More on Bardstown: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was recorded as 11,700 by the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. It is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a 1,000 acres land grant in 1785 in what was then Jefferson County, Virginia from Governor Patrick Henry. William Bard surveyed and platted the town. It was originally chartered as Baird's Town.

5. Danville

Source: Wikipedia User FloNight (Sydne | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 16,685
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 68
Closest Major City: Lexington
Households with kids: 29.3%
More on Danville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 16,690 at the 2015 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties.

6. Shepherdsville

Source: Wikipedia User W.marsh | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 12,117
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 52
Closest Major City: Louisville
Households with kids: 40.9%
More on Shepherdsville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Shepherdsville is a home rule-class city on the Salt River in Bullitt County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county, located just south of Louisville. The population was 11,222 during the 2010 U.S. Census.

7. Elizabethtown

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 29,474
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 57
Closest Major City: Louisville
Households with kids: 31.9%
More on Elizabethtown: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Elizabethtown is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,531 at the 2010 census, and was estimated at 29,906 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2016, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. It is included in the Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Louisville/Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Madison, Kentucky-Indiana Combined Statistical Area.

Review Of Elizabethtown by HomeSnacks User

Elizabethtown, KY is a very friendly & kind community of people.

Freeman Lake has walking trails & dog park. Play grounds for the kids

Impellizerri's downtown is fantastic pizza place to eat.

In Glendale from Etown the Whistle Stop is well know home cooking restaurant. Lots of antique shops to browse thru.

Review Where You Live

8. Somerset

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 11,376
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 49
Closest Major City: Lexington
Households with kids: 31.4%
More on Somerset: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Somerset is a home rule-class city in Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States. The city population was 11,196 according to the 2010 census.

9. Independence

Source: Wikipedia User W.marsh | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 27,183
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 32
Closest Major City: Cincinnati
Households with kids: 42.4%
More on Independence: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Independence is a home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is one of its county's two seats of government. Independence is a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the population was 24,757 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census.

10. Madisonville

Source: Flickr User merfam | CC BY 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 19,138
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 44
Closest Major City: Nashville
Households with kids: 33.2%
More on Madisonville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data

Madisonville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States, located along Interstate 69 in the state's Western Coal Fields region. The population was 19,591 at the 2010 census. Madisonville is a commercial center of the region and is home to Madisonville Community College.

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How do you determine which place is best for families in Kentucky anyways?

To give you the places in Kentucky which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what's family-friendly and what isn't.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Bluegrass State

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Kentucky, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

• Crime (Both violent and property)
• Quality of local schools
• Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
• % of households with children
• Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)

We then gave each city a Family Score.

The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 11,000 people. For Kentucky, that meant a total of 33 cities. You can download the data here.

There You Have It - The Best Places To Raise A Family In Kentucky

If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in Kentucky ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.

Here's a look at the best cities for singles Kentucky according to the data:

1. St. Matthews
2. Shively
3. Covington

For more kentucky reading, check out:

• Best Places To Retire In Kentucky
• Richest Cities In Kentucky
• Best Places To Live In Kentucky

Where Are The Best Places For Families In Kentucky?