Choosing a place to raise your family can be a challenging decision. To help make that decision a bit easier, Kiplinger, a Washington DC-based publisher of business forecasts and personal finance advice, recently did some reporting and number crunching and came up with a list of 10 great US cities to raise a family.

On that list of 10 cities, Kennewick, Washington - the city that surrounds Creekstone - took a top spot. Kennewick joined other great US cities including Ann Arbor, Michigan; Madison, Wisconsin; Raleigh, North Carolina; and College Station, Texas.

Here are some of the statistics and information reported by Kipplinger about Kennewick:

City population: 67,953
Metro population: 245,649
Mean family income: $67,799
Median home value: $150,000
Employment growth: 1.0%
City school rating: 6

The Tri-Cities region is noted for its strong, research-based economy. It weathered the recession with an unemployment rate of just 6.2% and plenty of high-tech jobs pursuing nuclear and other forms of sustainable energy. Overall the schools here are strong, and parks and playgrounds are plentiful. The cities' location at the intersection of the Snake, Yakima and Columbia Rivers guarantees active families plenty of outdoor fun.

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Starting on Friday, June 18 the summer movie season begins at Creekstone! Bring your picnic chairs, blankets, drinks and snacks over to North Park near the entrance to Creekstone for a movie under the stars.

All movies are free to attend. Movie nights are open to the public, Creekstone residents, friends and neighbors.

The first movie of the summer will be Secondhand Lions, a coming-of-age story about a shy, young boy sent by his irresponsible mother to spend the summer with his wealthy, eccentric uncles in Texas. This film runs 109 minutes and is rated PG.

Outdoor movies will happen every other week throughout the summer. All films are family-friendly. Be sure to save the following dates and watch for announcements on the next films to be shown:

• June 18 - Secondhand Lions
• July 2 - Movie TBD
• July 16 - Movie TBD
• July 30 - Movie TBD
• August 13 - Movie TBD
• August 27 - Movie TBD

For more information about the Outdoor Movies and other events at Creekstone contact us at 509.735.3737.

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Starting in fall 2010, elementary students at Creekstone will be attending Ridge View Elementary school under revised boundaries approved by the Kennewick School Board on Wednesday, March 24, 2010.

The board made changes to the school boundries because of the new Cottonwood Elementary school is opening in the Badger Canyon area in fall 2010 and there were concerns for future overcrowding. School district staff worked on the new boundaries for months and held a series of community meetings to gather parent feedback. According to the Kennewick School District, Creekstone families have the option of not moving their children to a new school and keeping them at Lincoln Elementary school by requesting a transfer with the school district.

Ridge View Elementary school is located just a few blocks from Creekstone. The school serves around 610 Kindergarten through fifth grade students in 21 classrooms. Find out more about Ridge View Elementary School.

Read an article that ran in the Tri-City Herald on these boundry changes.

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According to MONEY Magazine's latest forecasts for real estate for the nation's largest areas, Kennewick, Washington is #3 in the US for biggest price gains. Specifically, Kennewick saw a 4.6% price gain as of Q1 2010. Kennewick took the #3 position in the nation behind Cheyanne, WY (4.7%) and Santa Rosa, CA (6.0%). Creekstone is located within the city of Kennewick, Washington.

Within the state of Washington, Kennewick is leading the way ahead of 11 other cities including Seattle (0.6%), Spokane (2.8%) and Tacoma (3.9%).

To check out the MONEY Magazine report, read the study on CNNMoney.com.

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