They call Durham the arm pit of North Carolina for a reason. I lived in Durham in the late 90’s, most people that have their choice live in Raleigh or Chapel Hill. High crime and scary unkept neighborhoods take away from the quality of life in Durham. The cost of living was nice and low though.

Native of Montana and longtime resident of Missoula. The influx of population and the inability of the infrastructure to support it was the primary reason we moved away in the early 90’s. Home prices quadrupled in a decade, the only jobs left for those of us who have to work are flipping the proverbial burgers, the geography (mountain valley) is incapable of processing the wastes of what has become high density living and the people who are moving into the area seem to have no sense of community. The goal is to buy 8 acres, put a fence around it, call it some cutesy thing like “mother’s load” , dress up like a cowboy and threaten to shoot anyone who tresspasses or steals the water. It is beautiful if one can see past the mansions of the neuvo riche and celebrity, but sadly it seems to attract those who are more concerned with where they are than who they are. Missoula is the place indeed if one wants to look at beautiful scenery and choke in high density living.

#30. Lyndhurst, best places to live in New Jersey: I’ve have been living in Lyndhurst for 7 years now and I love it here. We have our own city in the suburbs. Everything you need is in walking distance and the recreation department has wonderful programs for the children. Anyone you meet who grew up here here makes you feel like you did too. A lot of people who have 9-5 jobs volunteer their time to the community. The schools and teachers are great. Kids are respectable and curtious. Taxes are reasonable. Police officers are involved in the community and do a great job protecting it. Your neighbors watch out for your children and you do the same for them. Our neigherhood is clean, neat and free of litter. You’re in driving distance of all the major malls, shopping centers and highways as well.

I’m greatful to be able to raise my 4 children here.

Honolulu isn’t as business-friendly as this article would have you believe. It’s a double-taxation state in which the tax advantages listed apply only to a certain tiny sector of the market. The more interesting fact is that a little over half the businesses employ 4 or less employees - the article doesn’t state that these are generally family-run, some reaching back 3-4 generations. Recent global speculation in real estate in Honolulu has driven home prices out of the reach of most residents of the city, forcing adults in a household to work two or more jobs to fund their mortgages.

Agriculture is limited to just a few types of crop; and there are precious few places to build anymore. It is a city with gorgeous beaches and tropical views that has a density of high rises that stagger the mind.

I hardly agree that it belongs on this list, and sadly, it used to be my home town.

Greensboro - i lived and worked there for 12 years (school from 1991-1995, then worked until laid off in 2003). Greensboro is for college students (flee when you graduate), older folks that live comfortably, couples with children that live comfortably, or the “old money” rich. It’s not very progressive and I was bored to tears (literally at time) when I was there. Work was the only thing that kept me in the area. I did a commute for a year (from my current city of Charlotte to Greensboro) and the first day reminded me of why I hated the place so much.

Raleigh - I’m from Raleigh and I like it. It’s got a lot of traffic for no good reason but it’s a nice place whether you are a college student or a young family with children starting out. Still country though…

Charlotte - out of the 3 i like it the best. have been living here for about 5 years. It may not be the most culturally rich place there is but it works for me at this point in my life. The traffic is a bit much at times as well but it’s trying to be a booming city so that’s what you get. it’s like a cross between Raleigh and Atlanta - and that is a plus for me. I like places like Atlanta and Chicago and New York but they would eventually eat me alive.

Google is NOT in Omaha, NE. Google is in Coucil Bluffs, IOWA…

Winston-Salem, NC is a great little city which features lots of arts and culture–and the living is easy compared to many other cities with similar amenities. We live in a historic neighborhood near downtown and can walk to almost everything we need–restaurants, clubs, bank, library, etc. I grew up in N.Y.C and have lived in Seattle, Portland OR, London, Paris, Austin and Berkeley. Sure, W-S is a small city but that’s part of what makes it nice and it’s certainly come a long way since I moved here 15 years ago. I’m happy to say that it’s moving in the right direction, controlling sprawl and big box development. The downtown is being revitalized and that is very exciting. Lots of theatre, music, art, and festivals of all kinds. The weather here is wonderful –four distinct seasons but winter is mild. Spring here is heaven on earth. Dogwoods, azaleas, weeping cherries, flowers everywhere. Unbelievable.

Columbus Indiana is known for Cummins and its architecture designs, yes. However, one of the best-kept-secrets is the difficulty newcomers (people who transfer to Columbus) experience when trying to acclimate to the city. The city does not send out the Welcome Wagon. In fact, often, it is down right impossible to fit in. People in Columbus have an ethnocentric viewpoint of themselves and a lack of appreciation for new ideas and new people. Columbus has a “Get-er-done” mentality.

Rochester Minnesota is the SHIZNET! It pretty much puts all other cities to shame…especially Omaha. I believe that you all need to get your rankings straight, starting with the Rock Town as numero uno. Ra, Ra, Rochester!!!

Santa Fe and its surrounding area is really a paradise on earth. Anyone who never been, has truly missed one of the great masterpieces of city management respecting mother nature.

Stafford, TX? I guess if you like a town that epitomizes suburban sprawl, laced with a bit of good ‘ol ultra-conservative, church going, xenophobic conservatism, then Stafford is your place.

Well, maybe Katy or Spring would bypass it on the suburban rating.

The Houston area definitely is a bargain. But if you are willing to put up with the heat, humidity, mosquitoes and ocassional hurricane, then perhaps living out on US 59 in Stafford, and commuting in some of the worst traffic in the US, isn’t that much more of a bother.

However, if you are going to put up with those environmental issues, you might think about living centrally in Houston (Heights, West U, Bellaire, Rice Military, Garden Oaks, etc) where you can take advantage of the arts, music, sports, restaurants and international flair of the city.

I guess I don’t understand your ratings. I lived in Charlotte, NC for over 8 years and now lived in Nashville one year. I have to say. The culture in Nashville, ie, restaurants, nightlife, music, sports, downtown areas are far better (I believe) than Charlotte. In addition, the Karst topography in Nashville, and rolling hills provide for some of the most magnificant landscape. Don’t get me wrong, Charlotte was a nice town, but its such a superficial place to live. Charlotte has absolutely no cultural identity of its own. Honestly, most of the people I met were from NY, NJ,PA, and Ohio and it seemed like everyone worked for Bank of America or Wachovia. Most of the houses being built there are all cheap “cookie cutter” homes due to the greed of large developers. Subsequently, Charlotte’s lack of control of their development and lack of adequate planning has resulted in some of the most impaired rivers and streams in the country (ie, the Catawba River - Google it).

Lived in Oro Valley 4 1/2 years. Good roads. Great mountain views. Town blends in with the natural features. Bike paths and hiking trails all over the place. Lots of roadside art. Well manicured. Golf courses all over if you golf (not me). Catalina St Pk close by. Good library. Lots of saguaro cactus. Well planned master communities. Lack of shopping and restaurants a problem but getting better. New hospital. Super Wal-Mart and shopping center coming which will decrease driving miles. CON: Local cops are not friendly and zero tolerance (they have a reputation in the area for that).

A well-kept secret in eastern North Carolina is the small town of Tarboro. Start with a well-maintained historic district of very affordable homes, a semi-revitalized downtown ready for business, add an influx of artsy-trendy entreprenuer types and grassroots activists, then top it off with an excellent infrastructure for internet-based businesses. What you have is a great place to get in on the ground floor and help grow the town into exactly what you want it to be.

What do I think about Asheville? Well, the “diversity” is a joke - don’t ever believe it’s here if someone says so. The job market has hobbled for years, and wages stink. Add to that the fact that New Englanders and Floridians drive up our property values (by buying homes at inflated prices), making it hard to young families and professionals to find affordable housing. Then you have greedy developers who want to destroy our natural landscaping to sell half-million dollar lots. It’s a travesty.

Seeing Manchester NH on the list only solidifies what most Granite Staters already know about this changing city.

A former mill town that was a depressed area in the 70’s and 80’s has made a massive comeback due to the friendly NH business climate.

It also helps that NH has been recognised as the best place to raise a family, has one of the best education systems in the country and one of the lowest crime rates etc.

The Manchester area, as opposed to southern NH (below exit 4 on I-93), is more affordable in housing and property taxes and does not have the influences of a creeping Boston high cost of living mentality like Nashua, Salem and Portsmouth.

With a rapidly growing regional airport, a massive highway expansion and eventual commuter rail between Boston and Manchester, the entire Manchester-Boston corridor is going to become a prime market for expanding businesses needing the right climate of low taxation and educated workforce.

The down side is our cold winters, if you don’t like the cold, then it’s a long 5 months for you.

The only New England area that surprised me was Worcester, its not much better than Lawrence MA and I have NO IDEA how it made itself onto this list.

Brookfield, Wisconsin is a great place to live. We are right in the middle of Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago and Minneapolis. It is a beautiful community with shopping, parks, lakes, etc. and our taxes are less than surrounding communities.

Thanks for the article – as a Pittsburgher, always good to read good things about our beloved city.

I’m one who was born here, left after college for the bigger cities (Dallas/TX, Los Angeles/CA, Portland/OR, Boston/MA area) and returned - twice now – this time probably to take root.

The national media exposure for the PA Primaries this past week gave us an additional insight into how we are “branded” – I didn’t hear ‘rust belt’ or ‘steel city’, but I think I did hear ‘hard-working’…and that’s a proud tradition, be it blue-collar, white-collar or no-collar (techies unite?!)…

I’ve been in the higher education world in the ‘burgh now for the past six years, back at one of the schools from which I earned a very valuable degree, and in addition to it being a joy professionally (melding my art, science, law and business backgrounds), it’s an investment in the next generations, whom we all hope will invest their talents in our fair city.

Sometimes you have to leave to appreciate what you had, and I’m a good example of that, as are many others now back in ‘the ‘burgh’.

Thanks again for the exposure!
Linda

Note: I already filed this comment under the story about Buford, GA. But I wanted to repeat it here, in case some of you missed it:

As a former resident of Suwanee, GA (which is also in Gwinnett County), I can tell you that the whole metropolitan-Atlanta area is highly OVER-RATED. Aside from the fact that if you take a wrong turn you will quickly end up in ‘Hazzard County’, here are some other things to consider: The traffic is absolutely horrible, the building standards for new/newer homes are very low (meaning the house will look good when it’s brand new, but you WILL be putting money into it within a few years), and the shopping and retail areas are not very convenient (mostly just a bunch of strip malls). There really aren’t any of the interesting and fun ‘downtown’ areas that you find in Greenwich, CT, Santa Barbara, CA or Birmingham, MI. And let’s face it - as far as cities go, Atlanta can’t really measure up to great cities like New York, Chicago or San Francisco.

When we first moved down there, Lake Lanier was touted as a great boating/ vacation/recreation area. What a joke!! Most of Lanier is a third-rate dump at best (when it actually has water), and can’t hold a candle to Michigan’s Great Lakes or other magnificent lakes and waterways around the U.S., such as Long Island Sound, or the inlets and harbors in the Pacific Northwest.

Furthermore, speaking of water, there is an ongoing drought that is expected to continue for some time. I don’t know what criteria you’re using to establish Buford as a top location, but access to adequate water is pretty high on my quality-of-life index. Especially in an area where the summers are very long, very hot and very humid.

I realize that your organization is biased toward the area since you’re located in downtown Atlanta - but beyond that, I really can’t understand the appeal of the place. There are many places throughout the U.S. that are much, much better.

You really need to re-think your rankings. There are many of us that just don’t find droughts, hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters very appealing.

Syracuse
Are you kidding.
Nine months of winter and three months of poor sledding. With the exception of a few mocked up downtown streets. The rest of the city is surrounded by getto. Parking will bleed you dry and the cost of living along with high property and every other NY tax will drain your pockets real fast. Utilities are more then anyone should have to pay. Nothing more then organized crime. But then there are some really greedy companies here waiting to pounce on anyone with a paycheck. Insurance cost reflect on winter accidents. And when you do file a claim they try to scam you. Automotive repairs and cost are effected by the crappy weather which never seems to end. You wonder, where the hell is Al Gore when you need him. It seems every morning you turn on the news and someone else has been shot and killed. Standing on the corner makes you feel like a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. I, took my car to three different shops for an inspection and got 10 different reasons why they could not pass it and had a need to get all my money. All the shops findings were different. Looks like they are scamming people too. Good thing the government regulates these companies or we might get taken advantage of. Try finding a job that pays over $12 bucks an hour. They keep dropping the average poverty level to compete with the amount of people falling into poverty. It is amazing the wages drop and product doubles but the average income stays above poverty. Numbers game. As soon as the weather breaks they close off (for repairs) just about every major thrufare to the city so it takes you twice as long to get anywhere. And why does it take the road crews months to fix a road they fixed last year? Road rage is everywhere. It seems to have become common practice to wave with your middle finger. One guy actully strted blowing his horn at me because I would not run the red light so he could run the red light. He started waving at me, so I of couse, waved back with both fingers many times out the window. Did not want him to think I was unfriendly. So there you have it. If you are thinking about killing yourself. Syracuse is an excellent place to consider.

Beloved Boise!! I was born and raised, been away and came back. Real quick on the “Outdoors” which was vaguely mentioned in the Boise clip. Within 1 hour drive of downtown (some <20 minutes), here’s a few rec activities to contemplate on any given day:

Epic….Fishing, Camping, Backpacking, Day Hiking, Hunting, White Water Rafting/kayaking, Snow Skiing (down/cross), Bird Watching, Cave Exploring, Mountain Biking, Paragliding, Sky Diving, Waterskiing, River Jet Boating.

Boise is truly soul food, with 4 distinct seasons providing all you would want during each one.

San Francisco is a sewer with the dirtiest downtown in America. That’s why it’s not on the list

To those of you who think Minneapolis is terrible: I feel sorry that you are unable to embrace such a wonderful place. I am a female, 24, who currently lives and works in Omaha and can’t wait to move back to Minneapolis, where I am from. Sure, the weather is cold, but by having gruesome weather, it retains truly hearty, down-to-earth people. There is a lot of diversity, culture and opportunities. It has a great education system, corporate scence, awesome healthcare and a lot of community service opportunities.

Omaha is one of the worst places for any single twentysomething. It’s impossible to meet someone who is not your old classmate’s, cousin’s best friend. (You get he picture.) The town has zero culture and is loaded with close-minded conservative people. Intelligent conversations are hard to come by, as the majority of the people here don’t know anything outside of the Cornhusker State. I applaud those of you Omahans who have lived elsewhere and I respect you for having loyalty in your hometown by coming back. I admit, most people are extremely nice as I have a lot of friends here, but the majority are very close-minded.

I’ve lived in Georgetown my whole life (21 years) and LOVED it up until recently. It is growing so fast, I don’t even recognize anyone anymore when I go to the store. Used to, you could go to HEB or Walmart and see many friends. Now they are all strangers. Our high school is over crowded, although they are building another. I believe Sun City ruined our nice town. Now we have a shopping center on almost every corner. People drive around town like we live in a big city, fast and rude. Having put us on the #2 spot will just make it worse.

I enjoyed the list of where to live and launch, but your writers misspoke in using the word “towns” to describe your top 100 places. All of them are *cities.* For a 2 1/2 minute look at what it’s like to run a business in a genuine town of 920 people, please see my video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HgjPdfGiE .

Brunswick, Maine is a great little town with wonderful cultural events. I love being close to a great city like Portland, too. The area is adjacent to rivers, ponds, lakes, and the ocean. Oops, I may have said too much. Mainers want tourists not a major influx.

OK for those of uou that don’t know about Coeur d’Alene i feel bad for you. It has one of the top alpine lakes in the worl (national geographic), it has the worlds only fully floating green, it has the worlds longest flaoting boardwalk, it is host of i believe the worlds third largest Ironman competitions. It is also was named the best city to retire young n all of america. It really is one of the most beautiful areas in the world. There are so many lakes near by and it is called the lake city. The resort is beautiful and there is a lot of money put into the city. It is easily better city than Bosie but you have to see it to believe. There really isn’t a better area you want to be in if you like to go out on the lake or ski in the winter. Come and visit you won’t regret it cause you might not leave it.

My family and I love living in Stafford (22 years). It’s got a small-town feel with and up-town venue. The taxes are the best and we have Mayor Scarcella, City Council and all of our City Government departments to thank for making Stafford a great place to call home. And I can assure you, it is only getting better!!

LEESBURG VA - I live here and moved here from the DC beltway for just the reasons listed. What’s not stated, though is the unique aspect of Leesburg — it’s at the boundary between the Appalachians (the trail is 20 minutes away) and metropolitan DC. So you can enjoy horse, hiking, white water rafting nearby. Also, we’re at mile marker 34 for the rail-to-trail bike path that leads into DC, and out further west for cyclists and hikers. On the other hand, DC — and all its culture like shows, concerts, museums — are very accessible as well. Finally, the county offers this premium buses to DC — the type of coaches used for tours — at a low price. They even allow coffee on board. Great 45 minute commute with a chance to nap or read the paper. LOVE THIS PLACE. “The Minks”

State College is an amazing town.
1. Public School system is amazing
2. PSU campus has in amazing
3. Everyone is smart
4. One of the best business programs in the naiton at PSU, very business oriented town.
5. Every resource a business would need can be found here.
6. Huge room for expansion and business start ups.
7. Opportunities for everyone, from high school to the retired.
8. College minded town
9. Liberal, yet businessly conservative.

Zionsville Indiana is an AMAZING place to live. The school system is one of, if not the best in the state. It is a great place to start your own business. Not to mention the beauty and zeal of the town. I have lived in 10 different states and could not imagine myself anywhere else than in Zionsville.

BEWARE OF COPS IN NAPPERVILLE IL> YOU WILL GET A TICKET FOR GOING 40 in 35 MPH zone>

Fort Lauderdale is a very nice town. I live here and absolutely hate it when I have to drive to Miami. The traffic in Fort Lauderdale is smoother, people are more polite, and there is a good economic diversity. Yes, the subprime fallout has made its mark, but my area of town is doing well (single family home area with little speculative buying). It’s a great community for diversity of belief, race, and orientation. The current Mayor is a doofus but he is on his way out. The metropolitan area as a whole is well run. What we do need is a light rail, and I hope the plans will come together soon

I am so happy that the town of Hamden is finally being recognized as one of the premier places to live in this country. The blend of suburban and urban neighborhoods is what makes this town great. The diversity of cultures in Hamden makes it a place for eveyone to live. Business in Hamden is always bustling, and it seems like new businesses are relocating to Hamden every day.
In response to JF of New Haven, I am having trouble seeing your point. New Haven is where I was born, and I love the city, the Green, the businesses, and the atmosphere. But on the other side, New Haven has rough places that have to be driven to like every other American city. It is funny you mention Wal-Mart and Home Depot because Hamden did not have those places until recently. And I’m sure people driving through New Haven don’t see the big, ugly, blue and gold IKEA building sticking out like a sore thumb. Take a drive down Whitney Ave in Hamden, and you will find private businesses and town landmarks just like any other New England town. And as for the center of town, Hamden was a part of New Haven until 1786. The collection of neighborhoods formed to create one town; Hamden. So that is why there isn’t a distinguished center of town like the New Haven Green. But I’m sure you already knew all of that.

I have to agree with Omaha at #22. I was recently part of a Young professionals conference here in Omaha and we had over 1000 people attend. I have lived in New York and Chicago and Omaha has a community that is much more willing to embrace small businesses (I am working on starting one as well so I know what I am talking about). This is a great place to be.

I’ve been in Worcester since 1979 and have seen it go through incredible changes. Like so many other cities, there are two sides to the equation. If you’re living above the line, you’re enjoying an enormous variety of ethnic cuisines in inexpensive restaurants, the benefits of a world class art museum, the advantages of proximity to nearly every major city in New England, a poetry/live music circuit that’s just amazing and relatively low rents and housing prices (on the way down now, actually, as investor landlords are finding that they can’t keep charging Boston rents for Worcester housing, and can’t get out of the properties they bought for $300k when the housing market has tanked and the market values are $100k less).

Unfortunately, there’s also a down side of being the second largest city in the region. There’s a gang problem that no one wants to admit, and a job gap that catches both the young and the ‘overaged’ worker squarely in the middle. All these lovely folks who live here because ‘it’s a short commute to Boston’ have driven housing prices out of the range of most long-term residents who rent, and sky-rocketing heating prices over the past few years have made it a challenge to pay the rent and the bills, put food on the table and take advantage of all those wonderful advantages.

I grew up in the Midwest, a large part of that time was spent in Fargo, ND. I think if you were to narrow the idea if best place to live to number of business and average cost of a home, Fargo, ND would rank #23, I think quality of life should also include some diversity, in which you will get very little to none in North Dakota, also most college graduates move away from the area for lack of employment opportunities, the opportunities that are available are middle management, dead end, and under paid. There are only a few major industries in the area, one of which is customer service. Tack on cold long winters, overly conservative, secluded, and alienating, low cost of living just isn’t enough; Fargo, ND ranks in my top 5 worst places to live and raise children.

Give me a break, there is nothing for younger people to do in KC MO or KC, whether you reside in the burbs or not. We relocated here from Chicago Suburbs and I hate it here. I feel like this is a tour of duty I don’t like and waiting to ETS.

I live in Bellingham, WA #27 and absolutely love it!!! There is beauty everywhere–Anyone who appreciates the outdoors would just love it here. All winter there is Mt. Baker to ski/snowboard. There are endless trails for running, hiking, mountain biking. The lakes and bay for swimming, boating, kayaking, sailing, ect. Not to mention it is an hour from Vancouver BC which is an amazing city, and 100 miles north of Seattle, which is an amazing city as well. There is always something to do. I came here to go to college and have yet to leave, after 7 years, I’m looking into buying a home finally. I just don’t want to leave here!

I am so glad I do not live in a city where all the residents claim it to be the “gem of the south.” (Charlotte, NC) Give me a break. We who live in Raleigh let our city speak for itself. It’s a great place to live.

I love raising our son in Plainsboro. The town is truly a melting pot of diversity which allows my son to learn so much about other cultures, etc. The new area of resturants and shops is a nice addition and a great place to eat if I’m getting home a little late to make dinner. Our son has had such exposure in the school system with amazing, creative teachers.

Sarasota is on the list at 90 it is a beautiful place to live but there is absolutely no work here and it will be a very long time before this area rebounds. If you have and money and can afford to buy then now is the time. There is no working class here only rich and retirees Medical is about the only field here. I have lived here give or take 20 yrs and this is the worst I have ever seen it.

Austin, Tejas, is a great place to live and work. The traffic and summer heat SUCK, but you will never run out of new things to do here and the people are very friendly. It’s affordable, compared to most places, and the “vibe” is very positive.

Moved to Greensboro about 2 years ago from NJ. If you like a society where you do not mind being with people around you, don’t come here. If you are retired and bored with your life, please do(its cheap too). Closed minded people are welcome here…I cannot wait to get out of here.

Missoula, #71, is a wonderful technology town with one of the top webhosting companies, not just the U of M. There’s also going to be a technology conference in April, Missoula BarCamp 2008, which the Missoula Area Economic Development Corp is helping put on. There are also active einformal technology discussion groups, and the Montana Web Developers Association.

I am a student at Hamden High School in Hamden,CT(#33 in the list). I was voted Most School Spirit and I also love the town I live in. The town has great businesses and it seems like more are built everyday. In Hamden city and country blend, which makes the town more unique than any other town in Connecticut. I am so proud Hamden,CT made this list.

Pittsburgh.

I recently moved back to Pittsburgh after graduating from university in 1993.

I am looking forward to engaging the resources for starting a technology company here.

Business revenue will have to be generated nationally or internationally, not locally, as Pittsburgh’s local economy is stagnant.

Property/income taxes, unions costs and the city’s provincial mentality are Pittsburgh’s biggest detriments.

Pittsbugh’s small town charm, affordable housing, green belts, and cultural offerings are in the plus category.

I live in Batavia IL which is near Naperville It is a great place to live. It should of made the list. The schools are some of the best in Illinois. I raised a family of 6 and I loved every minute of it. Plus its so close to Chicago. To all you young couples I highly recommend it.

Lyndhurst, NJ is a great town to live in. My Wife and I moved to Lyndhurst from a crime infested neiborhood in Brooklyn and we never looked back. Lyndhurst is a working class town and people live modestly. It really is a slice of heaven and we are happy to live here.

You have to be kidding me. I live there, Minneapolis is a hole.

Kansas City, MO, live on the Kansas side in what was describe a KC,MO suburb, assure you it is not. While KC, MO has many advantages for the business community, it has many disadvantages as well, the city itself suffers from a failing school system, crime and violence. However, the suburban areas and counties surrounding the city have some of the best schools, communities, and resources in the nation. It is a very family oriented area, with a great deal to offer anyones interests an needs. However keep in mind that its best to live outside of the KC, MO city itself with the exception of the upper class.

There’s a photo of Bethlehem, PA, but not of Radnor Twp??? Odd. I noticed that Radnor and only one other town out of 100 didn’t have photos… What’s up with that?

Ft. Lauderdale is, in many ways, has the best to offer to those who enjoy the S. Florida lifestyle. And, now is a great time to find some incredible real estate deals. Areas in the center city, especially the South Middle River area, offer incredible opportunities with modest early 1950s houses solidly constructed with gigantic yards, perfect for remodeling and expansion, and excellent location. No Miami-Dade hassle here. The area is lacking is small upscale restaurants.

Does anyone know anything about Oro Valley, Arizona? I’m thinking about moving there for a job transfer but would like to get info on the community.

Um, gee whiz, when locals pronounce Coeur d’Alene as “core da lane”, it’s because that’s how it’s pronounced. Anything else is just, I don’t know, stupid?

I was a little surprised to see Durham, NC show up on this list, especially at number 13. I’ve lived in Durham for 4 years and while it is a decent place to live, I’m not sure it really belongs at number 13 on the top 100 list. Durham has lots of opportunity - arts, good restaurants, good sports events, great weather, great diversity in its people. Durham is in the process of a major revitalization and with continued investment and change will be a great place to live, work and operate a business. It is true that crime is a concern, but I haven’t encountered any problems personally in 4 years and there is recognition by the city that if Durham is to truly be revitalized and reach its potential, serious efforts will need to be taken to reduce crime.

Brunswick is a fabulous community in which to live and work whether you are raising a family or retiring or anywhere else in you life. The combined advantages of being a college town (Bowdoin), located on the ocean and two major rivers, along with the tremendous recreational opportunities and the relative saftey of the town Make it a wonderful place to live and work

Madison, “chilly”? That is an understatement, but a reasonable foundation for an intolerable weather situation. If you like the color gray, this (and much of the Rust Belt) is the place for you. Hot humid Summers, short pleasant Falls and nasty wet Springs make this the place to visit, but only in October.

I read this list to make sure Bend didn’t show up, but sadly, it did. I lived there several years, working in startup companies, until I realized how much I hated it there. I found the people unpleasant and the city incredibly boring but self-congratulatory at the same time. The population is simply made of two groups: 1) retirees, and 2) trust-fund kids who want to go skiing and rock climbing. The city claims to have a thriving arts scene but it’s really quite awful.

That said, if you’re really in love with the outdoors, extreme isolation, and the desert climate, and you don’t care about the arts/music scene or the lack of a diverse population in terms of ethnicity and demographics, it might be perfect for you.

Good luck attracting talent, though — it’ll be hard to find younger skilled workers, because they would rather live on the other side of the Cascades (say, in Eugene).

Rochester NY is a dying city … actually it’s probably already dead.

There is no real effort to resurrect this city. Kodak is demolishing 1 building after another and sending work off-shore.

This whole article is a joke.

Rochester has been a well-fare city since the riots in the 60’s.

Danville, CA is undoubtedly one of the best places to live in the world, let alone the USA. I’ve lived elsewhere and traveled the globe and Danville is hard to beat. The only reason that our City seldom makes the Best Places lists is due to cost of living with many houses costing $900K+. Schools, Outdoor Activities, Weather, …. all are top-notch. The City’s not very diverse, which is either a benefit or detracting point depending on one’s preferences.

After toruing the world for 28 years with entertainers and I have lived in Chicago for most of my life. I was looking for a place to live that had business opportunity, a quality of life, low overhead, great topography, centrally located to the east coast… I came up with Nashville. My wife and I purchased a home in Green Hills four years ago and have made well over 10% on our investment per year. There are some growth problems currently here in Nashville but our new mayor Karl Dean will shape the city into one of the finest in the country. Come on down for a visit, ya’ll!

I Live In Leesburg,Va. Yes there is a lot to see, but what it is? Just new developments, residential and comercial, It is a shame. The beauty of nature is gone, is to over crowed, the roads remain the same to contain the volume of trafic during rush hours, to may bussines, and homes and very few schools, and no plans for more.

Hamden, CT
Well, Hamden is a suburb, if you like driving everywhere you need to go I guess that this is an OK place to live. I find the people that I know who live in Hamden have to drive into New Haven to have breakfast on the weekend. We walk. If you are moving to the New Haven area and enjoy culture don’t move in next door to a Home Depot or Wal-Mart, move to New Haven, there are very good neighborhoods within the city limits. Doesn’t it sound nice to walk out of the front door and to a farmers market at the local park on Saturday or Sunday morning? By the way, New Haven was just named in the top 20 of pedestrian friendly cities in the U.S. To me, Hamden looks like any suburb in the country; if you were blindfolded and dropped off there it would take you having to ask someone where you are before you could figure it out from landmarks. Also, I would not say “plenty of shops and restaurants fill the center of town” it is more like a few. I am not even sure you would consider what Hamden has a center of town, if you blink you will miss it, and then you will have to turn around in that Applebee’s parking lot up ahead to go back and find it.

The best place to live and work are places that have a diverse economy.

I live in Bellaire (Houston) Texas and find it to be one of the best places to live. Houston has enery and medicine. Two sector that are pretty much resistant to even the worse recession.

It is a small town in a big city. It has everything that a person or a family needs for both personal and business.

I highly recommend it even though it is not listed on the top 100.

Don’t fall for any of these surveys. I have been reading them for years and laughing because anyone who moves ANYWHERE without spending time there can be making the mistake of their lives. There are no perfect cities. In the United States there are problems everywhere especially in the last 8 years. I like where I live because it is away from almost all “lemming mentality.” I am not going to mention where it is because I don’t want anyone finding out about it. As long as it goes unnoticed then the bottom feeding developers will stay away. They are partially responsible for the ruination of the entire country.
Posted By Mary Beth, Chicago, IL : April 6, 2008 9:12 am

your a stuck up snob

I moved to Winston-Salem over twelve years ago after growing up in Manhattan and living in the Boston, D.C., and San Francisco areas. Winston-Salem has been a great place to raise a family. It has a broad and deep arts scene, including many arts education opportunites. It has been a place that is easy to get involved in the community and work to make a positive difference in the development of the city. There are a lot of different kinds of people here, including academics and musicians, and the place has a very down-to-earth, friendly feel. This is not the glamour lane, but it is the “real” America I had been searching for. The area is physically beautiful, located adjacent to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We are the gateway to the burgeoning Yadkin Valley Wine region, and it is fun to visit the wineries for day trips. There is a lot of value for the money here in terms of quality of life and housing. Most of all, it is much lower stress than I had been used to. I’m glad to see that Winston-Salem is getting the attention it deserves.

Fort Collins………………..Co.

Fort Collins boomed in the 90’s because of the tech growth at HP and we had incredible real estate inflation, now the last 7 or 8 years the growth has been flat but steady. A lot of layoffs in the tech field with many of those people sticking around trying to start businesses here because they don’t want to live elsewhere. Its much nicer since the growth slowed down, the
traffic seems to actually have gotten a little better. No doubt we have just about everything a small to medium sized city could want including cultural and wilderness minutes apart. Housing prices are reasonable but that may be because there isn’t much of a good paying job market here. I don’t want to go back to the double digit housing inflation that the national builders love to exploit, rape, pilage and leave, taking there profits to other localities. We have brain gain here and we will see if we have the create business brains to create good paying jobs, but I don’t want to go back to the go-go 90’s. Slow steady growth is best. I love living here, hope I can continue to find work here.

I enjoyed your article in this months magazine and it got me thinking about how great Gainesville Florida is. I apologize if you are not the person to contact with any comments regarding the recent article published on the 2008 Best Places to live and Launch a business.

I want to share my thoughts and experience on this topic because I feel strongly about where I have chosen to work. I live in Gainesville/Alachua Florida. I grew up in Chapel Hill North Carolina before they cut I40 through to the coast and the boom of RTP(Research Trinagle Park area). Having watched the explosive growth at RTP, I could attribute it to the research that was being fed and supported by the area schools such as UNC and Duke. The area I am in now contains the largest bio-incubator and is being fed by the local University(Florida) and Santa Fe Community College, another top ranked institution. I moved my business into the Progress Corporate Park here in Alachua in 2002. I have seen explosive growth in the past few years and even more to come. The city works very hard at promoting and bringing in new businesses. The chamber of commerce is probably the best one I have ever been involved with. My office sits in front of many acres of green space in the San Felasco State Preserve where we ride many miles of mountain bike trails. The environment lends itself to some of the best activities in the world for young entrepreneurs including the best cave and spring diving in the world. The best thing about this area for starting a business is the focus on the biomedical research. I am a firm believer that our nation and the world will experience a drastic shift into biomedical research. With advancements in stem cells, genetics, RNAi, and a myriad of other biomedical and biological research our fastest growing industry will be curing diseases and creating biomedical solutions.

Colorado - I used to live in Colorado for a year and I lived in Colorado Springs and Denver. Colorado Springs was horrible. forget housing, the jobing market there is enough to deter and kill anyone from living there. The city is surrounded by nothing but the military so all of the military folks have taken all the jobs and Jobs are extremely hard to find there. Plus they dont take kind to outsider folk. if youve lived there your whole life or are military, then you’ll have no problems. Denver on the other hand is slightly better. No military and the cities much bigger, so jobs are better and housing is reasonably priced. Now if you cant handle the city life try the suburbs of Denver like Aurora, Littleton, Lakewood, Englewood, Arvada, Westminster, Thorton, Centennial, and others. However, even with a little bit better jobs and housing Denver is still hard to live in. Remember, Denver is a winter haven. It gets mighty cold there at times and it can get blizzards there. The only real thing Denver has going for itself is The Denver Bronco’s and the Colorado Avalanche! Go Bronco’s!!

Prescott,AZ - To even think that Prescott made the list is horrifying. Prescott is run by nothing but the old folks in the community. At one time Prescott was a great place to live and there was traditions and an expanding city. But now days the old folks have come in and pretty much turned the community into an old folks community. Its not even friendly anymore to the younger generation like me, who is 26 or to the rising young generation. I used to live there for almost 10 years, so Ive seen alot of the changes. There used to be 4th of July waterfights downtown.. not anymore. The old folks killed that one. U can do it on the outskirts of downtown but who wants to do that? Its just not as fun or the same. The courthouse lighting used to be fun. not anymore, the old folks killed the fun of that as well. The only thing Prescott has going for itself is Whiskey row and im sure the old folks are trying to kill that one as well or at least make it more old folk friendly. Besides the old folk killing off the fun Prescott used to be, the housing market is sky high and jobs are hard to come by. Because of that, families are moving out and moving to the nearby cities of Prescott Valley and Chino Valley. Prescott Valley however, would be better for the list as it is steadily and rapidly growing and housing is relatively low and jobs are abundant and because of the rapid growth, Jobs continue to grow!

WE LOVE BEND!!!

We bought land there in Feb, 2008 and we are moving. We are soooo tired of California, the crowds, graffiti…..

Bend is clean, uncrowded (compared to California) and everyone is pleasant! And Bend has sunshine!

Housing is still affordable and all the best shops, restaurants and services are there.

We live in Georgetown, TX (Sun City). It is like coming home to a resort every time you drive in.

I have lived in American Canyon(also known as AC or AmCyn to us locals) for all my 18 years it is a very small town where most everything is within walking distance. Most residents either know or have heared of almost everyone here and it very close to San Fran, Lake Tahoe and is continuously growing. Everyone here ia very nice and it is a very close knit community. Some may say its not that great, but hey we beat Orlando & Walt Disney World!, along with 88 other cities so we must not be that bad after all lol.

Blue Ash, Ohio —- come on!
Blue Ash is no different than the rest of the Cincinnati burbs. You can drive through Blue Ash and never know that you were there. Everything around there looks the same. A start up needs a lot of things but none of what it needs are any more available in Blue Ash then they are in any other sub of Cincinnati. Geez.

Zionsville?? To start a business??
Maybe an Art Gallery but that’s about it. Zionsville is about the last place I’d consider in Indiana to start any kind of business unless it was an Art Gallery or high end Antique store.

Hamden CT is a great place to live! I graduated from Quinnipiac University in the 80’s and chose to raise my family in this town. At one point we considered moving to the more affluent shoreline when my children were entering middle school, however despite what a previous comment that was made we compared the High School curriculum with these towns and found that Hamden’s schools had more to offer. Our children are know in college and doing well. We know Hamden High School Students who are now attending fine institutions such as Yale, Harvard,and Emory. Another positive that few towns can state and what has helped make our decision to stay, is that Hamden has 3 large state parks and a state forest within it’s borders, the Farmington Canal linear bicycle/walking trail that runs the length of the town is also a great asset. The neighborhoods throughout town have their own charm, with Yale 10 minutes down the road we have residents who have moved from all over the world into the area, making the town and schools a culturally rich community.

Don’t fall for any of these surveys. I have been reading them for years and laughing because anyone who moves ANYWHERE without spending time there can be making the mistake of their lives. There are no perfect cities. In the United States there are problems everywhere especially in the last 8 years. I like where I live because it is away from almost all “lemming mentality.” I am not going to mention where it is because I don’t want anyone finding out about it. As long as it goes unnoticed then the bottom feeding developers will stay away. They are partially responsible for the ruination of the entire country.

To respond to Dave, saying Cheyenne goes to all of the power to get no major businesses here, you are wrong!!! When is the last tiem you drove through Cheyenne, let alon Wyoming? We have gotten a Olive Garden, first one in Wyoming, a Chipotle, yet another first in Wyoming, a Kohl’s, Yet another first in Wyoming, Bed bath and Beyond yet another first for Wyoming!! We also got the Wal Mart Distribution Center, which has more than 2,500 employees and we are getting the Super Compting Center, which will create about 2,000 more jobs. Also Laramie County Community College, is becoming the 6th or 7th school in the country, 2year and 4 year, to get a wind energy program!!! I am from Cheyenne and I am so happy to see us on the list!!! Hope everyone comes to Cheyenne, WY to see all of the history that we have!

I am not sure why you rate SARASOTA, FL “90″ as you had another article about the best places for small businesses IN 07 and you had this wonderful city rated in the top 10!!! OK so make up your minds!

Anywho I can tell you that pour moi a person that has just moved a small business from another area of the country down here to Sarasota, FL, this place is FANTASTIC and I have made up my mind. Sarasota is it and it HAS everything. Yes it gets a little hot during just the summer months but it gets hot everywhere. Sarasota area has great beaches the best. Great rivers. Lots of trees beautiful vegetation everywhere. Great restaurants and great people from all over the world. Down here the locals they don’t consider themselves just from the South of the USA but as part of the Carribean. See my drift yes southward the only way.

Georgtown is not a suburb of Austin and it isn’t South it is North of Austin.

Thanks, B

Commuting from Carlsbad into San Diego is brutal. Nice if you can stay North though.

Carlsbad, a suburb of San Diego, is beautiful. However, a MAJOR con for this city is extremely expensive housing. Average home prices in San Diego county are in the high 500,000’s. Carlsbad, being a coastal city, is close 1 million for a house.

Blacksburg, VA is an absolutely amazing place to live and visit. Surrounded by national parks, white water on the New River, hiking, caving, rock climbing it is a smart-center with a rapidly growing non-university technology industrial base - literally thousands of new jobs in the past few years. It’s at once quaint and clearly bustling with new commercial amenities currently under construction to serve the growing region - the entire county of Montgomery in which Blacksburg sits has grown exponentially. Roanoke - a 30 minute drive is about to open the Taubman Museum of Art in the fall which will throw the national spotlight on that city and VA TECH is in the process of building and planning state of the art performance arts spaces + a complex is in the works to bring more cultural amenities to town as well.

Hamden is a great town. finally it is getting noticed. the hockey around here is amzing hamden high is one of the if not the best team in the state.

Living in Ft. Lauderdale for 9 years, Tampa for 1, then relocating to Orlando for the next 12 you see the difference as clear as night and day. The non-congested “City Beautiful”, parks, diverse economy, healthcare services, retail venues, and quality of life is by far better than any city in South Florida. Having returned to Miami for the last year due to business needs, I have seen that unfortunatly “The Magic City” has lost its magic and grown irresponsibly, led primarily by greed of developers, city leaders, and the irresponsible acts of those supporting them. It is by far worse now than 13 years ago. I long for a quick return to a city that clearly has earned the distinction of “The happiest place on Earth” not just by the theme parks but rather by its diversity, cleanliness, people, and way of life. The opportunities in Orlando abound for those who are looking for a better quality of life in tranquile and serene settings. If family life is what you want, then the best place for up bringing is Orlando, Fl.

HARKEYVILLE, TEXAS IS THE PERFECT TOWN.

As a young person living in Sarasota (Sar) is NO LONGER just for retirees as most that truly do not know this area always like to point out. Sar is a wonderful place to live, work and as I did launch a business. The real estate downturn has been really over exagerated we are the only place in Florida that is selling maybe not as high as in 2004-05 but we are selling..and I should know just sold 2 prop equalling millions. So please next time prior to writing anything about Sar do your homework or better yet come down here and see for yourself…no one is ever disappointed!!!

You were right tolist Georgetown, Texas at number 2. It is a great place to live and to start a business. The quality of life here is amazing, and the cost of living is low compared to most of the country.

Local property taxes are the lowest in the region, and the workforce is excellent. The city offers a range of incentives and works hard with both newcomers and existing employers to assist with relocation or expansion. We have a great Economic Development team, shich won the Community Economic Development Award for citeis under 100,000 in the entire state last year.

The Chamber of Commerce is second only to Austin is our region in total membership and provides a wide variety of valuable services to its members. We’ve created the Texas Life-sciences Collaboration Center in the last year, which houses three very exciting companies: RADIX Bio-solutions, Orthopeutics, and Quantum Logic Devices.

Southwestern University is the state’s oldest institution of higher learning and is consistently listed by the Princeton Review and Barons as a best buy and best value in education. Our local public schools are excellent and very progressive.

The Healthcare sector is strong and getting better every day with four maajor hospitals and numerous specialty clinics within fifteen minutes from anywhere in town.

Our historic downtown, is like a picture postcard from the Vistorian Era, and the recently restored Williamson County Courthouse is a neo-classical gem with lots of history.

Local festivals are among the best in the state, and our faithfully restored Palace Theater features wonderful live theatrical productions to sell-out crowds year-round.

New shopping venues abound, and are among the most attractive in the area. Our City Lights Theatres offer the finest movie venue in the area, and one of the very few that is truly an engaged partner in its community. The Planned Hotel and Convention Center will further establish Georgetown as a major center for regional commerce.

In case you can’t tell, I love it here, and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. If you are considering a relocation or looking for a great place to lve or launch a business, you should really take a close look at Georgetown.

Dear Editors: I lived in the Doral, Miami, Area, that is no place to live and raise a family, let alone to really start a new business. The area is very cyclical, business strengths are few, and the layout of the city is very awkwardly zoned. You left out orlando, central florida a booming market and widely diverse in industry, technology, medicine, and fast growing population, with huge land space unlike south florida.

American Canyon, CA is aka “Gateway to the Napa Valley”. I have lived in town for over 19 years. Open space, fresh air, walking and bike trails is only enhanced by the small town closeness of the residents.
Being driving distance to entire Napa Valley, San Fran, Lake Tahoe etc. is just icing on the cake.
I have the best of all worlds: living and working from home!

I don’t know if you looked into the Northeast at all, but 30 minutes north of New York City, is a wonderful city to live, work and play, the City of White Plains. It is a clean and safe city that has recently seen major revitalization. The downtown boasts top notch dining and entertainment facilities, a Ritz-Carlton, Trump Towers, high end shopping, and it’s own White Plains Performing Arts Center that hosts shows like Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Man of la Mancha.

In the summertime, the city hosts outdoor concerts in the downtown during the weekdays and nights and the Business Improvement District closes off the Main Street for various festivals and events. There is something for everyone in this great city!

Please check out http://www.cityofwhiteplains.com for more information on the Renaissance City of New York State.

One place that is always on the “best” places to live is the DC metro area. Are you kidding me?? The housing costs are enough to leave this place. Most decent apartments are about $2000 for one bedroom and the average house costs around $600,000! I am college educated and work for the federal government and most apartments won’t even look at me because I don’t make enough money. I have no idea what people do for a living here because most federal jobs start you at around $35K. I now make about $60K with raises but still can’t get by. Plus the commutes here are horrible and the traffic is unbearable. As soon as I can transfer out of here to somewhere cheaper I am.

I am enjoying living in Carlsbad since I moved here in June from NJ. It certainly is beautiful however, it is sorely lacking in cultural arts, there are no art museums, no ballet, no opera and only a few decent restaurants. For these things, I need to drive into San Diego. I wish the planners would focus less on golf and parks (we have enough) and spend more time and money on other cultural activities (you would also save on water that way). This new plan to charge for parking at the beach is terrible; some people only park there for 30 minutes; should they have to pay $8?

I am so happy i live in the township of Lyndhusrt New Jersey. I was born and rasied in this great town even if i hit the million dollar lottery i would live in Lyndhurst.The town is like having one big family.

Charleston, SC, is so beloved for its almost European atmosphere in addition to the Old South feel, plus the thriving of All the arts. But how could you have failed to mention–speaking of high-paying jobs!–that Google has recently opened a facility in the area!

We just moved with our business from West Virginia to Quakertown, PA. We are seriously considering locating our office in Bethlehem, PA. We are currently home-based with one employee and planning on hiring more.

I have either lived in or visited a lot of these places. I moved to Syracuse from Atlanta eleven years ago, so I’ll just comment on Syracuse.

First, let me disagree - no kid NEEDS snow. I grew up fine without it. It is fun to spend 30 minutes stuffing your kid into a snow suit to spend 15 minutes outside buried in snow. One of the joys of parenthood!

OK, so the weather is downright horrible here. If that bothers you, you won’t like it. I don’t blame the weather for any of Syracuse’s problems…just if you’re thinking about moving some place where the sun hardly ever shines…you could probably do better in Seattle. This ain’t no place for the seasonally depressed!

On the other side of the coin, there couldn’t be many nicer places to spend a summer. Most people here have a family lake house or a boat, and most people not from here could probably afford to rent or buy one…not that you’d need to. There is PLENTY of outdoor stuff to see and do from top class kayaking to fishing to hiking to horseback riding. Within any given 20 minute drive, you can get to probably 20 golf courses or a lake or two. If you’re motivated to get outdoors, you can have a good time from May to Nov…although it often rains a lot here, too!

I think it is a great place to raise a family. There are tons of festivals throughout the year (for kids and adults). In 10-20 minutes, you can be apple picking, at a pumpkin patch, the zoo, or some animal farm. The city schools aren’t great, but that’s typical of city schools everywhere. Living in the suburbs here may mean just living one street over…so a good school district awaits.

Housing is very cheap. You can build a brand new 2500 sq ft house with a decent yard for probably $250k. An average 4br, 2000-2500 sq ft house will probably run you $175 to $200k. However, we have the HIGHEST property taxes in the whole country. A $200k house may cost you $600/mo in taxes. In some towns that could be double!

The economy here is based on small businesses for the most part. When the rest of the world is booming…Syracuse isn’t. When the rest of the world is busting. Syracuse isn’t. It’s stagnant for good or bad. The “big” business here is the University systems and health care and hospitals. There are some good-sized union type shops that are hold overs from when Syracuse was a boom town like 40-50 years ago. They pretty much close up and/or move away on a weekly basis. That leaves a mature work force with a union mentality. For the most part, this is a TERRIBLE place for a kid out of college to get a good job. There aren’t a lot of corporations here that roll out entry level positions. A lot of the entrepreneurial initiatives are very small companies (1-5 people). I wouldn’t exaggerate if I said a good 25% of the people here wished they could just work for the government…which is a pretty good career option when you take a look at the want ads in this town (they take up maybe a page in the paper). On the other hand, it is very easy to meet people, network, and get established in this town, and I believe there are a good number of incentives out there for people who do start and maintain businesses here. P.S. you can’t walk 100 yards without seeing vacant commercial space either.

The people here are actually very friendly. Not polite. Friendly. The difference: they’ll welcome you into their home, but they may not say hi to you when you walk by. People here are often cranky and often pessimistic and resistant to change. It’s a generalized statement, and it doesn’t mean people here are not nice. As one comment said…Syracuse is a negative place. I would have to agree. It doesn’t mean that you have to be negative, too, and it may not affect you personally…but there is a negative air about everything here, which I don’t think helps business or social initiatives. The people that live here…let’s just say…they’re also “from” here. You can find a lot of well educated and worldly people here, but for the most part, folks here focus on the basics in life. You may not be able to fill all your seats at a dinner party where you discuss foreign films, but you don’t have to deal with a lot of pretension and garbage that comes with cosmopolitan life.

(1) Re: taxes, you get what you pay for and in the long term, sufficient taxes to maintain a decent infrastructure is better for living (city services) and businesses (quality public education and public transit) that pay long term dividends.
(2) Moving somewhere only because of a boom economy may not make you happy (you’ll miss the family!) in the long run. When one area becomes bloated, companies and people will move to another cheaper areas so what goes around comes around. I believe even Ohio and Michigan will rebound somehow from the loss of manufacturing simply because it’s so cheap there and there’s a great underutilized infrastructure (schools, roads, buildings, culture) and unbelievably cheap high-quality housing there.
(3) Sarasota is unexpectedly cool town but it’s still astronomical to iive in close proximity to the shops and beach and probably not enough to keep you occupied if you’re used to a bigger city.
(4) Worcester really has done a lot to get itself together. It’s relatively close to the beach and mountains and offers all amenities and services of a large city. You can quickly commute to a number of Norman Rockwell looking yet very progressive towns around it. Although Worcester has benefited from Boston’s success (close proximity, yet cheaper) it’s now got a cluster of biotech that makes it strong on its own. Way to go.

I was amazed to see Winston-Salem on this list. The only thing in that city is Wake Forest. It’s a dreary, run-down place. I live in Charlotte, about an hour or so South and the difference is ridiculous. Charlotte’s growth is dominant. It’s the only U.S. city with property values higher now than last year. Charlotte is the gem of the South and with companies such as Wachovia and Bank of America headquartered here, a major world economic player.

I’m a 3rd generation resident of Boise and have a little different view of the town than this article portrays. Yes Boise used to be a well kept secret but articles like this one have definitely let the cat out of the bag. The sudden increase in population has spoiled some of the once enticing reasons why so many have moved here in the last 10 years. For one, the housing market is crashing right into the ground. This has left anyone seeking employment in the residential construction industry is scrambling for work and those who jumped ship from their former jobs to sell real estate and flip houses are quickly finding themselves in massive debt. I have friends in the mortgage business that haven’t been able to approve a mortgage for almost 6 months! The economic downturn has also lead to mass layoffs in our budding tech industry. I’ve had two neighbors in my apartment complex alone get laid off in the last 2 months. Notice that I mentioned that I live in an apartment complex. I make a very decent living but wouldn’t even dream of attempting to buy a house in this volatile market, yes it’s that bad. Sure the city is clean and the mountains are close for those interested in recreational activities, but who can afford it with the ever increasing cost of living brought on by the housing market crash? I know I can’t. So if you’re looking to move to a nice clean city with unstable job opportunities and a housing market that has reached its breaking point, go ahead. Please, feel free to add to the problem by moving here, buying nice new house on an adjustable rate mortgage, then foreclosing 2 years later after a job layoff.

Hey Steve from Carlsbad, I agree with your remarks 100%. They should take Carlsbad off this list, bad weather all the time the beaches way too sandy. Overall not worth the trip.

I am glad that someone is finally making mention of our town. We have a thriving business hub here, lots of jobs, very little crime, and it is a good and inexpensive place to live. Think of Stafford as an upscale environment without the costs usually associated with upscale communities. We have some of the best shopping and restaurants you would ever want, good schools, and are surrounded by parks and golf courses. We have excellent city services, but do not have to spend a boatload on taxes to pay for it all.

Charlottesville may be lively and in a beautiful part of the state but prepared to pay alot for housing, gas, food, etc. as well as put up with an inferior infrastructure. Middle income people have a difficult time in Charlottesville and the gap between the middle class and upper class is widening. Definitely a town where a single person needs to make 70k+ otherwise you’ll struggle. Local government makes for bad comedy, at best–for more than 20+ years they have talked about and still talk about building a “Parkway” to ease traffic congestion even though it is now long obsolete and very expensive. But they welcome all developers who don’t have to contribute to any of the city’s i