DOTHAN, AL —Alabama found its place as 43rd on the list for the best place to raise a family.
The deciding metrics for this ranking are fun, health and safety, education, and affordability.
Alabama is 17th on the affordability ranking list and that’s the highest it goes. The socio-economic factors ranked the state in 31st place.
Mayor Mark Saliba defended his state as a long-time resident and said there are many things worth living here in Dothan.
“Were still small enough where everyone feels safe. There is an affordability aspect to that as well. It’s easier for a family to raise children here. And the fact we are close to the beaches and lakes has a lot to do with that as well,” Saliba said.
He also mentioned that fun activities are the hardest things for a city to do.
“It’s always a challenge of any city to provide opportunities,” said Saliba. “And one of the problems is coming up with new opportunities once they’ve had something for a while they say they need something else to do. So it’s always a challenge to come up with new opportunities as well as being creative with what we do already have.”
As education is very important and it was not valued by WalletHub, he said that education in Dothan has its qualities compared to the larger schools.
“We are small enough to where teachers know their kids and their family,” Mayor Saliba said. “There is still a small-town feel to Dothan and I think the education is something to focus on and strive for something even more excellent than what we have.”
