[Archived] Alexandria Selected As Best City For Women

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2001
CONTACT: BEVERLY STEELE, SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR
(703) 838-4966

ALEXANDRIA SELECTED AS BEST CITY FOR WOMEN

The City of Alexandria was selected as "the Best City for Women" by the Ladies’ Home Journal in its April 2001 issue. According to the Journal, Alexandria "...offers a combination of scenic charm (a riverfront location and a picturesque pre-revolutionary quarter bustling with boutiques and restaurants) with modern must-haves (well-paying jobs in government and business, quality schools and outstanding child care)."

Alexandria Mayor Kerry J. Donley said "This again confirms what we, in Alexandria, know. This City provides an outstanding quality of life for everyone, and its richness is exemplified not only in the quality of its services, but also in the diversity of its population and in its place in our country’s history."

Of the 10 cities chosen, Alexandria ranked number one and was declared "Best Overall." The number one ranking is based on combined scores from seven major categories. The categories are based on what is most important to the magazine’s readers--a low crime rate, a pleasant lifestyle, good public schools, plentiful job opportunities, quality child and health care resources, and a significant number of women in local government. Alexandria ranked number one in education, which took into consideration high school graduation rates, student-teacher ratios and the amount of money spent per student; and second in child care.

This is the second year in a row that the Ladies’ Home Journal has picked Alexandria. Last year, Alexandria was one of the "Best Cities for Women Today and Tomorrow" and was the only jurisdiction to receive a perfect score for quality of life in the magazine’s listing of top 10 cities nationwide.

For the past four years, the Ladies’ Home Journal has been surveying America’s 200 most populous cities and ranking them according to the qualities that are of particular concern to women. The Journal obtained data from federal, state and local sources and with the help of a demographics firm selected the 10 best cities.

The Alexandria Commission for Women has extended an invitation to the editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal to attend the Commission’s Annual Salute to Women Awards Banquet on March 26 to join in the recognition of the important work women do in the City. The Salute to Women Awards Banquet will also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Office on Women.
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