Edina's a better place than the Twin Cities for young people

Photo by Bobak Ha'Eri, Wikipedia.

50th and France in Edina.

A new survey from America's Promise Alliance counts five Minnesota cities in its top-100 "Best Communities for Young People" in the country. Unfortunately, Twin Citians, Minneapolis nor St. Paul made the cut.

Here's who beat us: Edina, Landfall, Mankato-North Mankato, Northfield, and St. Louis Park.

Before we overreact about Edina beating Minneapolis and St. Paul at anything, it seems worth nothing that by "young people," the surveyors mean students.

The descriptions of the winners note things like public school graduation rates and test scores in looking at a city's merits. Edina's high school also has the largest Advanced Placement program within five states.

True, Newsweek named Southwest High School in Minneapolis the best in the state. But we'll admit, the city's dropout rate stings a little.

However, let's be honest: We all know those Edina kids make a beeline for the cities when they're tired of all that overachieving.

Meanwhile, this is Mankato-North Mankato's fourth year to make the list. Why? The powers that be evidently let students weigh in on city budget decisions down there; America's Promise Alliance says this like it's a good thing.

Click here for the full list and explanations of winners.