Va. Beach ranks high in several lists

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Virginia Beach was named the second best city in the nation for raising a family, according to financial news website 24/7 Wall Street.

The website examined the nation's 100 largest cities. Each city was rated based on its parks, playgrounds, high schols, children's hospitals, adult education levels, unemployment rate and crime rate.

The website ranked Madison, Wis. as the best place to raise a family. Other cities that rounded out the top five were Raleigh, N.C., Irvine, Calif., and Lincoln, Neb.

The website said, "Virginia Beach is extremely prosperous, due in large part to the presence of several military bases in the area. It has the eighth-lowest rate of violent crime among major cities and the fifth-lowest unemployment rate. It also has the second-largest acreage of parkland per capita, behind only New Orleans, which has suffered huge population losses in recent years. Virginia Beach also has one of the highest numbers of playgrounds per capita in the country."

Earlier this month , 24/7 Wall Street ranked Virginia Beach as the best run city in America.

In addition, Women's Health magazine ranked Virginia Beach as the seventh healthiest city in America . The staff ranked 100 cities based on 38 measures of health and well being, including access to medical care, cancer rates, obesity rates, and longevity.