Apparently, small town living is best for families, at least according to the 2012 ranking by Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The publication named Fort Gibson, with a population of less than 5,000, as the best city for raising kids in the state of Oklahoma. Located near Muskogee in eastern Oklahoma, Fort Gibson takes home the honor for the first time. The article says "the area has a rich history that now centers on an 80-acre historical site. Today, Fort Gibson is a thriving town with great schools and parks."
In previous years, Lawton was the top state name on the list, with metro area suburbs of Midwest City and Moore mentioned as runners-up. But none of them would be in the running in 2012 because this time, for reasons not specified, the study only considered cities with populations between 1,000 and 50,000.
Completed in conjunction with New York-based real estate provider OnBoard Informatics, the study looked at 4,169 cities across the United States with a crime index less than 10 percent above the national average and median family income within 20 percent of the state median. It assessed school performance, number of schools, household expenditures, crime rates, air quality, job growth, family income, museums, parks, theaters, other amenities, and diversity, though editors emphasize that school performance, expenditures and income were given the greatest weight.
Follow me on Twitter
Comments
My wife and I raised our two sons in Fort Gibson, and we were extremely pleased. The achools are great, they are constanly looking at ways to challenge their students and the students score very high year over year on the national testing.
The geographical location is perfect for raising a family. It is located within minutes of three great lakes; two of which are great for boating, skiing, swimming, jet-skiing and tubing. All three are known for fishing, as well as the Arkansas, Grand and Verdigris rivers provide more fishing that even Bassmasters has reviewed and now has on their schedule for their tournaments.
I love our town, and feel this owner is well deserved.
Great job Fort Gibsonites!
Ft Gibson is a model community with an excellent school system. The students consistently score well on state testing. I have lived in the Ft Gibson area for over 25 years and raised 2 sons who are married. It is a great place to raise a family!
I disagree with the other comments. Lived there for 30 years and went to the schools also. They are not up to the national standards in science and mathematics. Only recently did they even get close to the national standards in schools. There is also a problem with small town politics and if you do not go to the Church of Christ or bank at Fort Gibson State Bank you are not even considered a resident for voting on anything to do with the town. Overall yes it is a good small town if you like things like that. I’m sure some will disagree with me because they know I’m right and the truth hurts sometimes. These are the same people who have never seen or want to see what the rest of the world looks like.
I have mixed feelings about this the middle school principal is “almost impossible to deal with” . My children have went their all their life…. Its so “Clickish” and thats not what life is all about.
Recently my daughter did graduate in the Class that had the most Above average children; Altho the drug problem in this town is soooo unreal!! Hopefully, the cops will get it under control kids at the age of 7th gr are using all the way up to Seniors in high school..
Overall the school system is good, but there still are many concerns in this community….
Every town has clicks, every town has drug problems, every town has it’s share of problems. Fort Gibson is a great place to live with great people. We moved here from Muskogee 12 years ago to send our kids to Fort Gibson Schools because we went to Muskogee schools and vowed that we would never send our kids there. I am very proud to live in a town that has been voted best place to raise your kids. All these naysayers are just the type that look for negatives in every situation. Find a town anywhere in the world that doesnt have the common problems that small town living has, you cannot…
I’m a person with a rather prominent position who is originally FROM Fort Gibson (as opposed to having MOVED there to take advantage of the one school district, which I promise you some of the above posters did). My siblings and I have great memories from growing up there, but despite what the magazine and others who have posted above claim, there is really nothing in FG EXCEPT the fabulous school complex built through proceeds of a power plant on the banks of the nearby river (which makes the air quality criterion peculiar). Though our parents are still there, my siblings and I all left, simply because there are no jobs and no cultural offerings to speak of. FG has no museums (except the fort), no opera, symphony, theater (movie screen or otherwise). There are no professional or semi-professional sports teams, no amusement parks, no upscale restaurants (and not even much fast food), and very little in the way of shopping venues. Nothing much to do, in fact, except attend school and gossip with your neighbors (and I guess they still have rodeos). I suppose that was enough for my siblings and me, and one might argue, it’s enough for anyone. But if you want something more than high school football (the Tigers!) and idyllic evenings on the porch with the family, you’ll want to live elsewhere.
Good for you your majesty, tell us more about your “prominent” position will you? Name one small town that has an Opera or a Symphony? I don’t think kids are particularly interested in either. Im an adult and I assure you neither played a part in my decision to raise my kids here in Fort Gibson. If my kids want to go to an amusement park or an upscale restaurant or watch semi-professional sports teams play, they are just a short drive away.
I came from a small town where there was not much activity for kids. I was a singer growing up. I had to play football to prove myself. I loved football. Football was/is over, like most sports, when I left high school. I am still a singer and founder of a program, “Oklahoma Kids”. It is like “little league” baseball only for singers and dancers. Like all small towns Fort Gibson has a lot of kids who love to sing. Oklahoma Kids, Inc. provides regular opportunity for kids who want to perform. Maybe Oklahoma Kids Inc could be helpful to kids in FG. Dr. Dale Smith, Founder