What part of America is the best place to live? (1 Viewer)

[tikigods]

Thoughts?

 

[Ignoramus]

My thought is that we've done this thread about ten times already.

 

[matuski]

Duluth

 

[AAABatteries]

My thought is that we've done this thread about ten times already.

 

[Parrothead]

Camden?

 

[NutterButter]

Camden?

Good luck finding a house for sale

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

Camden?

Good luck finding a house for sale

YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THERE'S NOT A SINGLE HOUSE FOR SALE IN ALL OF CAMDEN,NJ?!?!

 

[Parrothead]

Camden?

Good luck finding a house for sale

YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THERE'S NOT A SINGLE HOUSE FOR SALE IN ALL OF CAMDEN,NJ?!?!

si

 

[Mario Kart]

In a van down by the river.

 

[East Coast Bias]

What was the answer?

 

[pantherclub]

North Carolina

 

[mr roboto]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/best-places/2012/top100/

Rank 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

Money Magazine 2013, cities under 50K population

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

 

[TobiasFunke]

These questions are usually easy to answer because everyone places the same value on various aspects of their lifestyle.

 

[Abraham]

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.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I'm starting to actually think the Philly suburbs. You have 4 seasons, which I like, so if you can't have any snow, it's not for you. Otherwise though, snow is mild, more days of sunshine than you'd think, no tornados or hurricanes. No earthquakes. Access to the city via public transit. An international airport. 4 sports teams. Access to beaches within an hour. Access to no sales tax in DE. You can get to NYC, Boston, dc quickly as well. Cost of living isn't insane. Great restaurants. University of Pennsylvania medical system. Great public and catholic schools. Colleges like penn, Villanova, temple, and Drexel. Beautiful countryside, especially Chester county and brandywine valley. Lots of business, law firms, corporate headquarters (Comcast). It's not as crazy big as NYC.

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

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.

Those are some big-time purposes.

 

[Apple Jack]

Irvine? Those lists are terrible.

 

[Mohawk]

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.

Those are some big-time purposes.

intensive too!

 

[Abraham]

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.

Those are some big-time purposes.

Works every time. Someone get me the pliers.

 

[Slapdash]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

I guess they misspelled suburb.

 

[snogger]

For me it would be the north & west.. Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Colorado, Utah....

The places within driving distance for shoots in that area would keep me busy for 50 years.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

19

 

[mr roboto]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

I guess they misspelled suburb.

It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

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.

Those are some big-time purposes.

Works every time. Someone get me the pliers.

Pliers? Wait...what are you going to do with pliers?

 

[TobiasFunke]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

I guess they misspelled suburb.

It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.

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.

Kind of a microcosm of how silly these lists are.

 

[mr roboto]

Well everything comes down to opinion and what people want out of their community I guess.

 

[cstu]

6 Irvine, CA 213,600

If you love boring suburbia life.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Shermer, Illinois

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

Shermer, Illinois

Where all the honeys are top-shelf but all the dudes are whiny #######. Except for Judd Nelson, he's ####in' harsh.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Fargo

 

[Buckfast 1]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

I guess they misspelled suburb.

It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.

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.

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.

 

[Slapdash]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

I guess they misspelled suburb.

It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.

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.

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.

 

[Slapdash]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

I guess they misspelled suburb.

It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.

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.

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.

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.

 

[mr roboto]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

I guess they misspelled suburb.

It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.

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.

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.

 

[FUBAR]

These questions are usually easy to answer because everyone places the same value on various aspects of their lifestyle.

We should all live together.

 

[DiStefano]

Kailua, HI.

Low key, one of the most gorgeous beaches in the world, easy access to other great recreational areas, and you only get Obama for 3 weeks out of the year.

 

[FUBAR]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

I guess they misspelled suburb.

It is family focused I believe but they take housing, jobs, healthcare and COL into consideration.

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.

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.

Depends how it's factored. Maybe average wage vs. Col makes sense but straight col wouldn't?

 

[pantherclub]

Money Magazine, 2012 rank (cities above 50k population)

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/best-places/2012/top100/

Rank 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

Money Magazine 2013, cities under 50K population

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

Those lists are incredibly laughable.

 

[Buckfast 1]

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/

 

[mr roboto]

Money Magazine's Methodology for 2013 list of towns 10,000-50,000 population...

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/best-places/2013/faq/?iid=BPL_sp_method

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.

 

[Slapdash]

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/

Not a terrible list, but no way I'd want to live in Atlanta or Vegas.

 

[Fennis]

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.

 

[TobiasFunke]

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.

 

[pantherclub]

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.

1. Awesome city, vibe, can easily see where this is #1

2. Hell no, no way in hell I want anything to do with that crap hole. Traffic nightmare, hot, I could go on and on

3. Cool city, the rain stigma is overrated there lots to do

4. Cool people but really expensive.

5. No way in hell would I ever live in that cess pool. Expensive, traffic and obnoxious people

6. Nice city, traffic not too bad, great climate, beaches and mountains a couple hours each way, lots of jobs

7. N/A

8. Not a big fan of Denver, too much traffic, climate was weird when I was there, it does have cool little pockets in and around the city

9. Not a fan of Miami either. If you dont speak spanish you are way behind the 8 ball here

10. Vegas is awesome. I could see retiring there easily

 

[fatness]

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.

 

[spreagle]

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.

 

[Slapdash]

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.

I really love visiting Chicago (and its pizza!), but the winter would be brutal to me. Not a fan of the crime there either.

 

[Fennis]

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.

I think you meant to post in the worst place to live thread?

 

[Buckfast 1]

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.

Self-exiled to the ends of the Earth to avoid liberals and cities. Sounds like paradise.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

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.

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.