It is likely that one parent is working in Queanbeyan as a tradesperson and the other in an administrative role in Canberra.

The children would also be attending the local Government school.

The lives of all Queanbeyan families has been mapped out in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Social Atlas for Canberra-Queanbeyan.

The insight was based on information from the 2006 census.

The Unwin family, who have been residents for 21 years, are typical of Queanbeyan's largest social group.

Mark Unwin is a well-known Queanbeyan plumber and his wife, Mel, works in Canberra in the retail sector.

Their two youngest children - Anjel, 11, and Eligh, 6 - are students at Queanbeyan West Public School while oldest son Will, 12, is now in Year 7 at Daramalan College in Canberra.

Mr and Mrs Unwin love Queanbeyan and can't imagine living anywhere else.

"I lived in Canberra for a while when I first moved here from Goulburn and hated it," Mr Unwin said.

"Smiles are free and in Queanbeyan people are happy to give them away."

The Atlas identified Queanbeyan's strong population growth - 11.7 per cent from 2001 to 2006 - as more than double the growth of Canberra for the same period.

Strongest growth areas were in the outer parts of Queanbeyan and in Jerrabomberra.

High population densities were also evident in the older parts of Queanbeyan, where there was a relatively high proportion of people aged 75 years and over.

Mrs Unwin said she was concerned that the city would not cope with the high level of growth.

Local facilities - particularly the swimming and leisure centre, and access to sporting and social groups - make living in Queanbeyan ideal for the Unwins.

"Our growth rate proves that Queanbeyan is a good place to live," she said.

"But unless there are some new developments, particularly in the CBD, then Queanbeyan won't keep up.

Almost two thirds, or 11,115 people, travel over the border for work every day.

Most people who travel to Canberra for work are employed in clerical or administrative roles.

Seventy-five per cent of Jerrabomberra workers travel to Canberra.

"People try to be parochial, but when there aren't any options we have to travel to Canberra," Mrs Unwin said.

Other statistics show Queanbeyan residents prefer to obtain technical or trades qualifications over university degrees and the highest proportion of one-parent families live on Oaks Estate.