Ruskin and Riverview Among 14 Best Places in Florida to Raise a Family

RUSKIN and RIVERVIEW, just 12 miles apart, are among the 100 best cities in Florida to raise a family, according to Niche.com, a website that focuses on rankings and reviews of cities, neighborhoods, colleges and K-12 schools. Niche.com was formerly called College Prowler, founded by an entrepreneurship student of Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.

To rank places, Niche.com uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Education, FBI, Brookings Institute, National Center for Education Statistics, Corporation for National & Community Service, and other providers of public data.

In the list of the 100 Best Places in Florida to Raise a Family, the top 15 are:

1 Westchase (Hillsborough County)

2 Fish Hawk (Hillsborough County)

3 Horizon West (Orange County)

4 Pebble Creek (Hillsborough County)

5 Oakleaf Plantation (Clay County)

6 Nocatee (St. Johns County)

7 RUSKIN (Hillsborough County)

8 Wahneta (Polk County)

9 Gotha (Orange County)

10 Oviedo (Seminole County)

11 High Springs (Alachua County)

12 Orlovista (Orange County)

13 Key Biscayne (Miami-Dade County)

14 RIVERVIEW (Hillsborough County)

15 Forest City (Seminole County)

RUSKIN

With acres and acres of natural-preservation lands and opportunities to bond with families and nurture values, RUSKIN is a lovely place to raise a family. Here are popular attractions in Ruskin that you can enjoy as a family:

1. E.G. Simmons Regional Park
A waterfront park good for picnics and fishing adventures

2. Ruskin Family Drive-In
A place to watch a movie under the stars. It’s a wonderful place to introduce kids to something great from the past that could be gone soon.

3. Gus’s Crabby Adventures
Families always say they have the best time here, as their kids have fun crabbing in the Little Manatee River.

4. Shell Point Cottage
You and your kids see here artisan crafts, inexpensive jewelry, handmade products, unique gift items, beach decors and vintage goods.

5. Fishing charters
Fishing charters abound here, with owners making sure you’re having unforgettable experiences.

6. Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve
This is a great place for paddling, boating and kayaking. It’s truly a nature preserve as there are no signs and boat ramps.

7. Historic Homes
Two historic homes are associated to Ruskin’s first college, Ruskin College. One is the three-story residence of the college president and his family. Bearing architectural details reminiscent of a Swiss chalet and surviving a raging fire that devastated the campus in 1918, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The second home is a three-story frame home, with a three-story tower, built by the college president’s brother-in-law, who together bought around 13,000 acres of raw land in Ruskin.

RIVERVIEW

RIVERVIEW was recognized by CNNMoney in 2012 as one of the 100 Best Places to Live.

Here are popular attractions in Riverview where your family can enjoy moments together:

1. Alafia River
A place to picnic, swim or paddle a canoe. It has boat ramps and restaurants along its shores.

2. Alafia River Bird Island Sanctuary
A home to gulls, herons, egrets, ibis, pelicans, terns and other Florida birds

3. Alafia Scrub Nature Preserve
An 80-acre nature preserve

4. Bell Creek Nature Preserve
A 500-acre preserve

5. Boyette Springs Park

6. International Independent Showmen’s Museum

7. Winthrop Town Center
A place to shop, dine and be entertained

8. Riverview Park and Civic Center
Located on the Alafia River, it has a recreational park playground, picnic area, pavilion, outdoor grill, fishing dock and boat launch

9. Camp Cristina YMCA

10. USA BMX Riverview

11. Gardenville Recreational Center

12. Summerfield Golf Course

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