Champaign seems to be making all the right lists lately.
On the heels of being named one of the best food cities in the Midwest, Champaign was named the 82nd best city in the country to raise kids.
That’s according to the National Council for Home Safety and Security. The organization factored in crime, graduation rates, access to health insurance and median household income.
Of course we take these rankings with a grain of Illini Supersweet sweet corn, but it’s fun to talk about nonetheless. And a fun thing to mention to your out-of-town relatives around the family dinner table.
Many of the cities on the list are decidedly wealthy, and college towns make up a significant portion. Champaign is the fourth-highest Illinois city on the list, trailing Naperville (No. 14), Evanston (No. 28) and Arlington Heights (No. 54).
Among Big Ten cities, Champaign came in fourth, trailing Ann Arbor (No. 19), Evanston and Madison (42).
California cities dominate the top 30. The No. 1 city on the list is San Ramon, Calif., a suburb of San Francisco, followed by Newton, Mass., and Newport Beach, Calif.
Bloomington, Ill., was No. 88.