My thought is that we've done this thread about ten times already.
YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THERE'S NOT A SINGLE HOUSE FOR SALE IN ALL OF CAMDEN,NJ?!?!Good luck finding a house for saleCamden?
siYOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THERE'S NOT A SINGLE HOUSE FOR SALE IN ALL OF CAMDEN,NJ?!?!Good luck finding a house for saleCamden?
Money Magazine 2013, cities under 50K populationRank City Population
1 Carmel, IN 80,100
2 McKinney, TX 136,100
3 Eden Prairie, MN 61,200
4 Newton, MA 84,700
5 Redmond, WA 55,200
6 Irvine, CA 213,600
7 Reston, VA 60,300
8 Columbia/Ellicott City, MD 100,700
9 Overland Park, KS 175,300
10 Chapel Hill, NC 59,000
11 Woodbury, MN 63,600
12 Fishers, IN 78,600
13 Allen, TX 83,700
14 Eagan, MN 64,700
15 Centreville, VA 72,900
16 Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ 53,200
17 Castle Rock, CO 52,500
18 South Jordan, UT 52,700
19 Lakeville, MN 56,700
20 Waldorf, MD 69,400
21 Highlands Ranch, CO 95,900
22 Maple Grove, MN 61,800
23 Gaithersburg, MD 63,400
24 Germantown, MD 88,000
25 Troy, MI 80,300
Rank Town Population
1 Sharon, MA 17,944
2 Louisville, CO 18,924
3 Vienna, VA 16,285
4 Chanhassen, MN 23,685
5 Sherwood, OR 18,736
6 Berkeley Heights, NJ 13,345
7 Mason, OH 31,761
8 Papillion, NE 19,837
9 Apex, NC 40,205
10 West Goshen Township, PA 22,421
11 Westford, MA22,407
12 Parker, CO 47,790
13 Montville, NJ 21,715
14 Farmington, UT19,135
15 Shrewsbury, MA 36,048
16 Hillsborough, NJ 38,828
17 Apple Valley, MN 49,863
18 Westfield, IN 31,857
19 Newcastle, WA 10,723
20 The Colony, TX 39,055
21 Savage, MN 27,711
22 Waukee, IA 14,945
23 Merrimack, NH 25,686
24 Firestone, CO 10,629
25 Draper, UT 43,974
Those are some big-time purposes.McKinney Texas wouldn't make the top 20 in the state and has no business in the top 20 of the nation. For that matter, suburbs of big cities need not apply. Yes, I live in round rock but for all intensive purposes I live in Austin. There is no separation between the two. Same with McKinney and Allen with regard to Dallas. Waco is a place that might qualify. Huntsville is a place that might qualify. Twenty minutes from downtown Austin/Dallas/Houston/San Antonio is not.
intensive too!Those are some big-time purposes.McKinney Texas wouldn't make the top 20 in the state and has no business in the top 20 of the nation. For that matter, suburbs of big cities need not apply. Yes, I live in round rock but for all intensive purposes I live in Austin. There is no separation between the two. Same with McKinney and Allen with regard to Dallas. Waco is a place that might qualify. Huntsville is a place that might qualify. Twenty minutes from downtown Austin/Dallas/Houston/San Antonio is not.
Works every time. Someone get me the pliers.Those are some big-time purposes.McKinney Texas wouldn't make the top 20 in the state and has no business in the top 20 of the nation. For that matter, suburbs of big cities need not apply. Yes, I live in round rock but for all intensive purposes I live in Austin. There is no separation between the two. Same with McKinney and Allen with regard to Dallas. Waco is a place that might qualify. Huntsville is a place that might qualify. Twenty minutes from downtown Austin/Dallas/Houston/San Antonio is not.
I guess they misspelled suburb.mr roboto said:Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)
It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.I guess they misspelled suburb.mr roboto said:Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)
Pliers? Wait...what are you going to do with pliers?Works every time. Someone get me the pliers.Those are some big-time purposes.McKinney Texas wouldn't make the top 20 in the state and has no business in the top 20 of the nation. For that matter, suburbs of big cities need not apply. Yes, I live in round rock but for all intensive purposes I live in Austin. There is no separation between the two. Same with McKinney and Allen with regard to Dallas. Waco is a place that might qualify. Huntsville is a place that might qualify. Twenty minutes from downtown Austin/Dallas/Houston/San Antonio is not.
How would you take cost of living into consideration? Is a higher cost of living good or bad? Because a higher cost of living at least partially is a reflection of how strongly people are motivated to live there.It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.I guess they misspelled suburb.mr roboto said:Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)
Where all the honeys are top-shelf but all the dudes are whiny #######. Except for Judd Nelson, he's ####in' harsh.Shermer, Illinois
How would you take cost of living into consideration? Is a higher cost of living good or bad? Because a higher cost of living at least partially is a reflection of how strongly people are motivated to live there.It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.I guess they misspelled suburb.mr roboto said:Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)
Kind of a microcosm of how silly these lists are.
I think a higher cost of living is certainly a negative, debatable how big of a weighting. I don;t think that is the flaw of that list though. I'd guess the suburbs in NC and TX have much lower costs of living than those in CA and MD.How would you take cost of living into consideration? Is a higher cost of living good or bad? Because a higher cost of living at least partially is a reflection of how strongly people are motivated to live there.It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.I guess they misspelled suburb.mr roboto said:Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)
Kind of a microcosm of how silly these lists are.
Not really true either. Biggest component of cost of living is housing, but areas vary widely in land use regulation which creates the ability to absorb new residents without bidding up the prices.How would you take cost of living into consideration? Is a higher cost of living good or bad? Because a higher cost of living at least partially is a reflection of how strongly people are motivated to live there.It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.I guess they misspelled suburb.mr roboto said:Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)
Kind of a microcosm of how silly these lists are.
These "best places to live" lists that factor in the cost of living too heavily always end up with a bunch of places where the cost of living is low for a reason -- no one really wants to live there.
Of the suburbs and towns on those lists of which I am familiar, they aren't exactly hurting for residents. They are nice towns with jobs, parks, good schools, hospitals. The only clear thing that's lacking is night life and entertainment. Maybe for the single crowd that's more important, but the majority of Americans either have families or plan on it sometime soon. In RE, schools, access to highways/trains, and community amenities are a big draw. I guess I don't see why these lists have 'places no one wants to live' on them.These "best places to live" lists that factor in the cost of living too heavily always end up with a bunch of places where the cost of living is low for a reason -- no one really wants to live there.How would you take cost of living into consideration? Is a higher cost of living good or bad? Because a higher cost of living at least partially is a reflection of how strongly people are motivated to live there.It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.I guess they misspelled suburb.mr roboto said:Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)
Kind of a microcosm of how silly these lists are.
We should all live together.TobiasFunke said:These questions are usually easy to answer because everyone places the same value on various aspects of their lifestyle.
Depends how it's factored. Maybe average wage vs. Col makes sense but straight col wouldn't?I think a higher cost of living is certainly a negative, debatable how big of a weighting. I don;t think that is the flaw of that list though. I'd guess the suburbs in NC and TX have much lower costs of living than those in CA and MD.How would you take cost of living into consideration? Is a higher cost of living good or bad? Because a higher cost of living at least partially is a reflection of how strongly people are motivated to live there.It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.I guess they misspelled suburb.mr roboto said:Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)
Kind of a microcosm of how silly these lists are.
Those lists are incredibly laughable.mr roboto said:Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/best-places/2012/top100/
Money Magazine 2013, cities under 50K populationRank City Population
1 Carmel, IN 80,100
2 McKinney, TX 136,100
3 Eden Prairie, MN 61,200
4 Newton, MA 84,700
5 Redmond, WA 55,200
6 Irvine, CA 213,600
7 Reston, VA 60,300
8 Columbia/Ellicott City, MD 100,700
9 Overland Park, KS 175,300
10 Chapel Hill, NC 59,000
11 Woodbury, MN 63,600
12 Fishers, IN 78,600
13 Allen, TX 83,700
14 Eagan, MN 64,700
15 Centreville, VA 72,900
16 Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ 53,200
17 Castle Rock, CO 52,500
18 South Jordan, UT 52,700
19 Lakeville, MN 56,700
20 Waldorf, MD 69,400
21 Highlands Ranch, CO 95,900
22 Maple Grove, MN 61,800
23 Gaithersburg, MD 63,400
24 Germantown, MD 88,000
25 Troy, MI 80,300
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/best-places/2013/full_list/?iid=BPL_sp_full
Rank Town Population
1 Sharon, MA 17,944
2 Louisville, CO 18,924
3 Vienna, VA 16,285
4 Chanhassen, MN 23,685
5 Sherwood, OR 18,736
6 Berkeley Heights, NJ 13,345
7 Mason, OH 31,761
8 Papillion, NE 19,837
9 Apex, NC 40,205
10 West Goshen Township, PA 22,421
11 Westford, MA22,407
12 Parker, CO 47,790
13 Montville, NJ 21,715
14 Farmington, UT19,135
15 Shrewsbury, MA 36,048
16 Hillsborough, NJ 38,828
17 Apple Valley, MN 49,863
18 Westfield, IN 31,857
19 Newcastle, WA 10,723
20 The Colony, TX 39,055
21 Savage, MN 27,711
22 Waukee, IA 14,945
23 Merrimack, NH 25,686
24 Firestone, CO 10,629
25 Draper, UT 43,974
FAQ and sources
Using statistics from data services company Onboard Informatics and other sources, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) Here's how:
1,326
Start with all U.S. towns with populations of 10,000 to 50,000.
846
Screen out places with a median family income of more than 200% or less than 85% of the state average; those with more than 95% of one race; and those with poor education and crime scores.
622
Exclude retirement communities and towns with major job losses. Rank the rest using job growth, housing appreciation and affordability, safety, schools, health care, arts and leisure, diversity, and ease of living.
60
Factor in more data on the economy, jobs, real estate, and health care. Give the most weight to economic and housing factors. Limit list to three places per state, one per county, and sort to represent all regions evenly.
36
Visit towns and interview residents; assess traffic, parks, and gathering places; and consider intangibles like community spirit.
1
Select the winner based on the data and reporting.
Feedback on the Best Places to Live list? Email the editors
Online notes and sources
Unless otherwise indicated, all data are as of 2012.
CNNMoney's Best Places database of 1,900-plus U.S. places includes towns with populations between 10,000 and 50,000.
Projections provided by Onboard Informatics are based on available U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Onboard Informatics is a data services company that specializes in working with real estate, media and technology companies.
Financial
Median family income data is based on U.S. Census/Onboard projections/aggregations.
Purchasing power is the adjusted median family income using ACCRA Cost of Living Index for 4th quarter of 2012, as provided by Onboard. The ACCRA Cost of Living Index measures relative price levels for consumer goods and services.
Auto insurance data represent average quotes consumers received from 19 auto insurance companies that participate in CarInsurance.com's website. Note: Average quotes aren't available for Massachusetts towns.
Housing
Median home sale price is compiled from actual sales transactions collected by Onboard Informatics from county and municipal assessor's offices for 2012. Only includes sales within the place boundaries. Collection and analysis of geographic data (geo-spatial aggregation) by Onboard Informatics.
Education
Underlying test scores are from GreatSchools.net. Onboard then calculated the values, which represent the percent by which the school district's Math and Reading test scores fall above or below the state's average scores.
Percent of students in public and private school represent students attending schools in the boundary area only, and may not add up to 100% in cases where students attend certain county or state schools. Onboard Informatics projection/aggregation.
Quality of Life
Air quality index are county numbers. Source: EPA, Onboard Informatics projection/aggregation.
Personal crime incidents are per 1,000 from 2011 FBI incidence reports and Onboard Informatics aggregations.
Property crime incidents are per 1,000 from 2011 FBI incidence reports and Onboard Informatics aggregations.
Percent of workers with long commute times from U.S. Census and Onboard Informatics projections.
Percent of population that walks or bikes to work from U.S. Census and Onboard Informatics aggregations.
Weather
Weather data from NOAA National Weather Center observation reporting stations. Collection and analysis of geographic data (geo-spatial aggregation) by Onboard Informatics.
Meet the neighbors
Percent of population that is married or divorced from U.S. Census and Onboard Informatics projections.
All content based on public, private and governmental sources - and while we make every effort to identify errors or omissions in these sources, neither Onboard Informatics nor CNNMoney.com guarantees the accuracy of this information.
Not a terrible list, but no way I'd want to live in Atlanta or Vegas.One of my friends posted article titled "America's 10 Best Cities" on Facebook that was published today, which was some ranking put together by a national real estate firm. Here was their list of top 10 cities to live:
1. Portland, OR
2. Atlanta, GA
3. Seattle, WA
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Washington, DC
6. Raleigh, NC
7. San Diego, CA
7. Denver, CO
9. Miami, FL
10. Las Vegas, NV
http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/best-cities-in-america-2013/
other than Vegas that is a solid list. I disagree with the order some, but I like it.One of my friends posted article titled "America's 10 Best Cities" on Facebook that was published today, which was some ranking put together by a national real estate firm. Here was their list of top 10 cities to live:
1. Portland, OR
2. Atlanta, GA
3. Seattle, WA
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Washington, DC
6. Raleigh, NC
7. San Diego, CA
7. Denver, CO
9. Miami, FL
10. Las Vegas, NV
http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/best-cities-in-america-2013/
Non-homer opinion here (I've never lived there): any list of America's best cities that doesn't have Chicago on it is flawed. IMO it's the greatest city in America seven months a year.One of my friends posted article titled "America's 10 Best Cities" on Facebook that was published today, which was some ranking put together by a national real estate firm. Here was their list of top 10 cities to live:
1. Portland, OR
2. Atlanta, GA
3. Seattle, WA
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Washington, DC
6. Raleigh, NC
7. San Diego, CA
7. Denver, CO
9. Miami, FL
10. Las Vegas, NV
http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/best-cities-in-america-2013/
I have been in, worked or spent time in all of those places except SD.One of my friends posted article titled "America's 10 Best Cities" on Facebook that was published today, which was some ranking put together by a national real estate firm. Here was their list of top 10 cities to live:
1. Portland, OR
2. Atlanta, GA
3. Seattle, WA
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Washington, DC
6. Raleigh, NC
7. San Diego, CA
7. Denver, CO
9. Miami, FL
10. Las Vegas, NV
http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/best-cities-in-america-2013/
I really love visiting Chicago (and its pizza!), but the winter would be brutal to me. Not a fan of the crime there either.Non-homer opinion here (I've never lived there): any list of America's best cities that doesn't have Chicago on it is flawed. IMO it's the greatest city in America seven months a year.One of my friends posted article titled "America's 10 Best Cities" on Facebook that was published today, which was some ranking put together by a national real estate firm. Here was their list of top 10 cities to live:
1. Portland, OR
2. Atlanta, GA
3. Seattle, WA
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Washington, DC
6. Raleigh, NC
7. San Diego, CA
7. Denver, CO
9. Miami, FL
10. Las Vegas, NV
http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/best-cities-in-america-2013/
I think you meant to post in the worst place to live thread?Upper Peninsula of Michigan, very low cost of living, very low cost of bar beer, outdoor opportunities aplenty, nearest "big city" is at least 2 hours away (Green Bay) so too far north for the typical big city problems, schools are good because they don't have the typical big city disruptions, lefties aren't bad either just mining union lefties who like hunting and fishing, not obnoxious in-your-face anti-everything gimee gimee big city lefties.
Upper Peninsula of Michigan, very low cost of living, very low cost of bar beer, outdoor opportunities aplenty, nearest "big city" is at least 2 hours away (Green Bay) so too far north for the typical big city problems, schools are good because they don't have the typical big city disruptions, lefties aren't bad either just mining union lefties who like hunting and fishing, not obnoxious in-your-face anti-everything gimee gimee big city lefties.
Disagree, barely decent. Even the WT here feels self-important, don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Geographically it's a great place but it costs too much, there is too much traffic, and the people are meh.Nothern MD isn't bad. You can be both in the mountains and at the ocean on the same day; lots of different places to fish; city life available in Baltimore and DC; beautiful countryside; Chespeake Bay to see and use; good schools; decent people. Lots to like.