Parents in the valley are on the defensive after Nevada was named the 5th-worst state in the country to raise a family in.
A WalletHub survey ranked last in education and child care and 47th in health and safety and affordability.
"I do take it personally because I was raised here and I've never left here," said Alison Kasner, a former Clark County School District principal.
Despite the low scores, there was one category where Nevada scored second -- family fun.
"My son is two years old and we go to the parks all the time here," said Andi Donahue, a mother in Henderson. "The city is really safe, at least the areas we go to, and our neighborhood is extremely safe."
The city of Las Vegas, not counting Henderson and Clark County, boasts nearly 100 parks, community centers, pools and similar facilities.
That's not even counting henderson or clark county.
Avril Markey is from Australia and has lived in the valley for six years.
She sees the last-place education ranking as just more motivation to do her research for her son.
"There are good schools that you can find," Markey said. "That's something that I'm trying to do right now because I have a four-year-old who's going to start kindergarten."
Kasner agreed with that sentiment, and she said more research would also be helpful to families thinking of moving here who are only looking at the rankings.
"Everybody has their own responsibility to get information and to validate it before they make a judgment," Kasner said.
North Dakota was determined to be the best state to raise a family in.
New Jersey was first in education.
