One Montana City Among the Best in America for Raising a Family

Even though my relations have lived in Montana for generations, technically, my parents met at college in Oregon, where I was born. But we moved back to Montana when I was 5 and one of the reasons my parents gave was they felt it was the best place to raise me and my brother. I grew up riding horses, fishing, sledding, water skiing, and enjoying all that Montana has to offer.

I'm not alone in feeling like Montana was a great place to grow up, but when there's data to support a personal experience, it feels validating.

WalletHub did a study on the best places to raise a family in America and two Montana cities made this list, but one Montana city ranked in the top 50 for the best places in the country to raise a family.

Unfortunately, Montana isn't as affordable as it used to be. Just take a look at how we rank for daycare costs:

But when you look at how the best city in Montana ranked for affordability in WalletHub's study, it was in the top 30. Based on affordability alone, you may not be surprised to learn that Billings, Montana, ranked in the top 50 as one of the best places to raise a family. Here's how Billings did in each individual category:

READ MORE: Here's How Much It Costs to Raise a Child in Montana Right Now

Billings, Montana

• Family Fun Rank: 138
• Health and Safety Rank: 127
• Education and Child Care Rank: 51
• Affordability Rank: 27
• Socio-Economics Rank: 48
• Overall: 45

Having lived there for 10 years, I saw many ways the Billings community supports families. But I'm surprised it didn't rank higher in the "family fun" category.