Maine is More Family Friendly than California

Maine is More Family Friendly than California

I moved to California three years ago from Maine. I really like it here. But when my husband and I start a family, I want to move back. Quite simply, Maine is a better place to raise children than California.

There are many reasons why Maine is superior. Take the crime rate, for example. According to the United States Census Bureau, the 1992-crime rate per 1000 people in Maine was 131; California's was 1120! Some could argue that these crimes might have no impact on children, so let's look at the child abuse rates. Maine's rate was five per 1000 people, compared to 326 in California (1). These numbers portray a safer environment in Maine. My parents only began locking their homes front door a few years ago; they now lock it but leave the key in the mailbox just two feet away. I never lost my car keys in Maine because I always left them in the ignition; try that here and see how long you have a vehicle!

The crime rate isn't the only difference-how about poverty? 1996 statistics from the United States Bureau of the Census show 13.8% and 18.2% rates for child poverty in Maine and California, respectively (1). Money isn't everything, but certainly a poverty-level lack of income won't help in child rearing.

Education is another important factor to consider. The United States Department of Education reported the national average percentage of high school seniors who graduated during the 1992-1993 school year was 71.1%. Maine's percentage was 74.3, while California posted 67.9% (1). I believe this is due to a much smaller population, which, in turn, produces smaller schools. Student-to-teacher ratios tend to be much smaller. I graduated with a class of thirty-six students. My school's total enrollment (grades 6-12) was around 130. Individual attention was not a problem.

Maine schools (and perhaps Maine families in general) also do a better job of educating their teens on sex and birth control. Pregnancy rates per 1000 teenage girls in 1996 prove this. Maine's rate was a low 57 as compared to California's 125 (Alan Guttmacher Institute 1). Preventing teen pregnancies will help keep the high school graduate level high and, consequently, keep the poverty level low.

There are also benefits of growing up in Maine that cannot be measured by statistics. There is a sense of community evident, even in Maine's larger towns and cities.