A More In-Depth Look
Not to be confused with its more rural or more urban counterparts urban clusters are small-towns with city-like amenities. They’re often but not always on the outskirts of a metro area, have ample parks and trails, and a family-friendly feel. According to the census bureau, an area with anywhere from twenty-five hundred to fifty thousand people is called an urban cluster.
As listed in Missouri Life, here are our top 10 towns:
1. Joplin
2. Chesterfield
3. Jefferson City
4. Washington
5. Kirkwood
6. Liberty
7. Clayton
8. Creve Coeur
9. Jackson
10. Farmington
Here is more information regarding our methodology:
Round One
Education
When considering education we looked at three different components: whether schools in the area were considered “Blue Ribbon Schools” (Schools have been recognized by the Department of Education for achieving superior standards of academic excellence), a district’s frequency in MAP scores, and how often a school was on a MAP listing. For this, we referenced Missouri Assessment Program’s Highest-Performing Schools.
Blue Ribbon Schools- Sixteen out of the 183 towns that were categorized as urban clusters had schools listed as Blue Ribbon schools. For this subcategory, we looked at schools listed for the latest rated grouping of 2003-2009 and used a straight forward, yes or no rating system. A town with Blue Ribbon schools was given a one, those without were given zeros.
District Frequency- According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, district frequency is defined as the frequency with which a school district is places in a top ten category and varies with the number of top performing schools in the district. Twenty-four out of the 183 towns were listed on MAP’s district frequency.
School Frequency- A school could potentially be listed in twelve top ten categories. Twenty-six of the 183 towns were listed.
The scores for Blue Ribbon, district frequency and school frequency were then compiled for an overall total. Using the least common denominator, totals were then converted to a ten-point scale; the greater the score the better.
Crime
Not all crime is created the same. For each city, both property and violent crimes were weighted in relation to population. This meant that the percent of property and violent crimes were divided by the population numbers in order to create a level playing field. The numbers, taken from 2009 data compiled by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Statistical Analysis Center, were ranked according to seriousness. Property crimes were weighed a fourth as heavy as violent crimes. The percentages for violent and property crimes were then added together and ranked according to total score. The percentages were then subtracted from ten. Cities with the highest difference, and thus the lowest crime percentage, were given the highest rankings.
Unemployment
Unemployment numbers were ranked on a ten-point scale, this time with the unemployment rate being subtracted from ten. Cities with the highest difference, and thus the lowest unemployment percentage, were given the highest rankings. Numbers were calculated by the Missouri Department of Economic Development and used 2009 annual averages, although the 2010 rates were given in the printed issue, as they had been released before we printed, in the snapshot of our towns on page 46.
Round Two
Round-two rankings included the following categories: bookstores, restaurants, public libraries, movie theaters, performing arts, trails, parks, denominations, recycling, green energy, sales tax, median household income, and air quality.
Data for round-two rankings was obtained from city chambers of commerce, visitors’ centers, and city halls. The majority of this round looked at the number of amenities available to residents. How many public libraries were in a town? Was there a hospital within a five-mile radius? Categories were weighted on a ten-point scale, with the highest value equaling ten. Some categories were yes or no, including “green energy” (whether or not towns had proposed or were involved in green energy initiatives like solar power and wind farm energy), hospitals (within a five-mile radius), performing arts (bringing in acts from outside city limits), and recycling (both curbside and centers). For these, a “yes” equaled the full ten points, while a “no” garnered a zero. Sales tax was ranked on a weighted scale. Statistics for diversity were taken from the 2000 Census, while air quality numbers were measured using asthma rankings, which are closely related to air quality. The rankings were taken from a 2009 study by the asthma and allergy foundation of America.
