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Friendship listed among top places to raise children

By KIP DOYLE
Olean Times Herald

FRIENDSHIP - One of the nation's top business publications is ranking the town of Friendship as one of the best places to raise children in the entire country.

In November, Business Week magazine published the 50 best places to raise a child for 2007 based on safety, community and educational statistics compiled by OnBoard, a Manhattan-based national real estate research firm.

The rating system for the study is based on educational data, test scores, cost of living, recreation and culture and risk of crime, Peter Golbey, chief solutions officer at OnBoard, said.

Friendship ranked number 31 overall on the list. The town ranked third among the 50 communities in cost of living.

In the study, the cost of living measures the area's average household expenditures compared with the national average in mortgages, rent, insurance, repairs, maintenance, apparel, education, entertainment, food and beverages, health, furniture and transportation.

Among the other top towns, Friendship ranked 12th for absence of crime, 34th for test scores, 35th for recreational and cultural activities and 45th for schools on the list.

Mr. Golbey said his firm contributed to the list only by providing data and statistics, but OnBoard did not put together the actual ranking. OnBoard provides the same type of data for other widely read lists like Money Magazine's Best Places to Live and Retire, U.S. News and World Report's Best Places To Retire, Family Circle's Best Counties to Raise a Family, and Progressive Farmer's Best Rural Counties.

He said most publications will consider OnBoard's data, along with some editorial insight, when creating the lists.

"What we do with our clients is supply statistics, our role is simply advisory and statistical," he said.

Friendship Town Supervisor Lawrence Reihle found the ranking to be a welcome surprise. He said Friendship is a town on the upswing with a strong school system and an active community.

"I thought it was great to have some good news about Friendship after so much negative stuff in the papers," Mr. Reihle said. "I grew up here, and it's still a good little town. We are coming back."

Mr. Reihle said the success of the Friendship Dairy as well as the opening of Wagner Lumber are signs that Friendship will remain a place where people can live and work. New owners are preparing to re-open the former Crosby's grocery on Dec. 15, adding to the convenience of living in Friendship, he said.

Wendall Brown, director of the Friendship Empire Zone, said Friendship has slowly started to generate a buzz as a community in progress.

"There has been an interest developing in Friendship. I have talked to several people who moved have recently moved into town. They found that school system is good and they could purchase a house of value below rates that would be appraised in other municipalities," Mr. Brown said.

Mr. Brown said Friendship has struggled with poverty, but new statistics show poverty is on the downswing.

He said the Friendship House has paid a role in the decline of poverty in Friendship, providing programs to young families coordinated within the community, the school system, the Friendship Empire Zone and literacy volunteers.

OnBoard took into account Friendship Central School's reading and math test scores, ranking them against the state average.

"We think we are number one, even though Business Week thinks we are 31st," joked Friendship Central School Superintendent Maureen Donahue.

She said the school has improved test scores thanks to a committed staff and parental involvement.

"I think the fact that we are small helps us stay personable. We are able to maintain small class sizes, which is good for us," she said.

Mrs. Donahue said the Friendship community has embraced her since she took the position.

"In the three years I have been here, everyone has offered incredibly positive support," she said.

"Friendship is very community-minded. There are lots of pockets of community-pride activities," Mrs. Donahue said.

Mr. Brown said, "This is exactly what we have been telling the rest of the world about- the advantages of living and working in Allegany County."