Low crime, strong schools, green spaces, and fun activities are key ingredients for a happy childhood.

If you could create the ideal community to raise a child in, what ingredients would you include? First off, you'd probably want a low crime rate.

A strong school system would also be key. From there, you'd need lots of other children, expansive green spaces to play in, and plenty of nearby family events. Toss in an abundance of artistic and recreational activities, and all of a sudden you've got one heck of a place to grow up.

At U.S. News, they wanted to find out if any communities like that already existed—and if so, where they were located. So they dug into their database of 2,000 different places all across the country and pinpointed the locales that met these criteria. They then examined these communities more closely to determine which places offered the best combination of safe neighborhoods, fun activities, and top-notch educators.

Denver came in at number 5 on the final list!

Whether you prefer snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains, biking through America's largest city park system, or heading over to Invesco Field at Mile High for a Broncos football game, Denver is a wonderful place to be a kid. Also among the country's safest big cities, Denver has 300 days of annual sunshine, eight different professional sports franchises, and countless opportunities for fishing, white-water rafting, and horseback riding.

For more information on the Denver area and the housing market email joan@roglianorealestategroup.com.