Best Places to Live for Families

Rank

Mason

Boasting two amusement parks in its backyard, Mason is anything but boring.

Opened in 2020, the Mason Municipal Aquatic Center is the newest initiative in the city's Wave in Wellness. The new 203,000-gallon heated leisure pool has many amenities, including a double flume slide, a lazy river, a tipping bucket, and an inclusive interactive splash pad, that can be enjoyed by individuals of all ages. Courtesy of the City of Mason

State
Ohio
County
Warren
Population
35,564

The City of Mason is the largest city in Warren County, an area also known as Ohio’s Largest Playground. It’s an adrenaline lover’s paradise, as the city boasts two major theme parks—one of the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water parks, and Kings Island, a 364-acre amusement park that’s home to the Beast, the world’s longest wooden roller coaster, which was once featured on The Brady Bunch.

Parents have their choice of highly rated schools in the area, and residents of all ages appreciate Mason’s communal spirit and small-town feel. The Grizzly Golf and Social Lounge is a popular gathering place to play a round, enjoy a meal, and listen to Mason’s lively music scene.

The city is dedicated to building a wellness culture and offers affordable recreational programs at the Mason Municipal Aquatic Center and Mason Community Center. Locals can also take advantage of the 301 acres of parks within Mason and fish, bird-watch, and make use of the sports facilities and public pools.

Mason is the site of Lenscrafters headquarters and the P&G Mason Business Center, which includes the main offices for several major P&G subdivisions, including oral care, personal health care, and pet care. The town also benefits from a tourist boom during the annual Western & Southern Open, which draws top tennis talent and is hosted in Mason’s Lindner Family Tennis Center. —Chloe Berger

Town information

Median sale price for single family residences (2022)	$345,592
Median household income	$114,817
Racial breakdown	Black: 4.5%, Asian: 13%, Hispanic: 2.3%, White, non-Hispanic: 78.2%
U.S. racial breakdown	Black: 13.6%, Asian: 6.1%, Hispanic: 18.9%, White, non-Hispanic: 59.3%
Sharecare Community Well-Being Index Score (out of 100)	61
District high school graduation rate	95%
Number of quality family medicine doctors (rated 3.5 or higher) per 100,000 households, within 25 miles	48
Number of quality nursing homes per 100,000 households, within 25 miles	55

Sources: Witlytic, ATTOM Data Solutions, STI: Popstats, the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Caring.com, Healthgrades, and Sharecare.