If
you focus only on the averages, life in the typical American town
frankly doesn't seem so hot right now. The median home continues to
lose value. Cash-strapped state and local governments are cutting services. And unemployment, at 9.3%, is still high.
But those bummer statistics obscure one important-and
encouraging-fact: There are plenty of outliers. MONEY found them
through its annual search for the best places in America, which this
year focused on the nation's small cities (those with populations of
50,000 to 300,000). Reporters crunched reams of data to find the
optimal combo of job opportunities, fiscal strength, top-notch schools, low crime, good health care, lots to do, and many other factors that help make a town great for raising a family.
And because numbers don't tell you anything about charm and
community spirit, reporters visited 30 of the highest-ranked towns in
person. Those that made the cut landed on MONEY's top 10 list. As
you'll see, these places are anything but average.
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Courtesy: City of Eden Prairie |
1. Eden Prairie, MN
Population: 64,000
Unemployment: 5.1%
Pluses: Plenty of jobs, very low crime, lots for kids to do
Minus: Long, cold winters
Why is Eden Prairie No. 1 this year? Not only is it family-friendly, it has a dynamite economy too.
At 5.1%, its unemployment rate is nearly one percentage point below
the county rate and more than four points below the national average.
It helps when you've got 50,000 jobs right in town.
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Major employers include Fortune 500 trucking company C.H. Robinson, hearing-aid maker Starkey Labs, and the Minnesota Vikings, whose practice facility and front office are here. As for fiscal strength, Moody's gives the town a perfect AAA bond rating.
While it doesn't have much of a downtown, there's plenty of outer
beauty: from gently rolling hills to 17 lakes that residents flock to
year-round for swimming and ice skating. Town parks are laced with 125
miles of running, hiking, and biking trails.
No wonder residents rank among the healthiest people in the nation. Add in top-notch schools and safe streets and you've got a place that's tough to beat.
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Courtesy: City of Ellicot City |
2. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD
Population: 155,000
Unemployment: 5.2%
Pluses: Booming economy, terrific schools, diversity
Minus: Bad traffic
Ellicott City boasts grand homes, a lovely 18th-century downtown, and lots of restaurants. Columbia
offers a wide range of housing, tons of parkland, and a major music
venue. But those varied amenities are far from the only reasons this
duo has risen to No. 2 from No. 8 in 2008. It's also an economic
powerhouse with a jobless rate just as enviable as Eden Prairie's.
The nearby National Security Agency and the Fort Meade Army base
together account for more than 8,000 jobs, and the government plans to
move thousands more positions there by next year. Baltimore and D.C. are within commuting distance (30 and 60 minutes, respectively).
As for housing, the foreclosure rate is one of the lowest in Maryland,
yet homes are affordable -- by Northeast standards, anyway. Factor in
excellent schools and a diverse population (17% of residents are black,
14% Asian), and you can see why this place has become a magnet for
families.
Even empty nesters like Alma, 46, and Elmer Gill, 54, who have lived in Columbia for 14 years, appreciate the town's appeal. Says Alma: "There's no other place we'd want to live."
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Courtesy: Town of Newton |
3. Newton, MA
Population: 82,000
Unemployment: 6.0%
Pluses: Great schools, low crime, strong economy
Minuses: Pricey homes, bad traffic
Less than 45 minutes from downtown Boston via train, subway, or express bus, Newton
is divided into 13 "villages" loaded with classic New England charm.
Most have pedestrian-friendly shopping districts, parks, and
playgrounds.
The town weathered the economic downturn fairly well, thanks to such
stable local employers as Boston College and Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
And Greater Boston, of course, offers a wealth of health care,
education, and government jobs.
Residents rave about the top-ranked schools, and parents are excited
for the new high school opening this fall. "It's absolutely beautiful,"
says Claudia Wu, 51, an attorney with three school-age kids who has
lived in Newton for 20 years. It should be: The school cost $197 million, an amount that sparked plenty of local outrage.
After all, living in this community is expensive enough:
a three-bedroom house runs nearly $600,000. If it weren't for those
hefty price tags, this town would be pretty close to perfect.
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Courtesy: Town of Bellevue |
4. Bellevue, WA
Population: 124,000
Unemployment: 5.8%
Pluses: Natural beauty, excellent schools, diversity
Minuses: Pricey real estate, rain
If forested cityscapes are your thing, this is your kind of place. Bellevue's compact
downtown bristles with new skyscrapers that seem to hover above Lake
Washington -- and when the clouds part, mountain views loom.
Real estate isn't a bargain, but the town's jobless rate is more than two points below that of the Seattle metro area,
thanks to a recent influx of jobs from such employers as Microsoft
(which has moved 6,500 positions here), T-Mobile, Verizon, and Expedia.
In fact, Bellevue has more jobs than it does residents.
And the population is diverse: Nearly a quarter of residents are Asian, and nearly a third are foreign born.
The town's high schools consistently land at the top of state rankings; despite school funding cuts throughout Washington,
the town has been able to enhance special ed and gifted programs.
There's an embarrassment of arts and entertainment riches, including a
philharmonic orchestra, fine arts museum, children's museum, botanical
garden, youth theater, annual jazz festival, and 74 (!) parks.
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Courtesy of McKinney CVB/Beth Shumate |
5. McKinney, TX
Population: 125,000
Unemployment: 7.8%
Pluses: Affordable homes, charming downtown
Minus: Traffic headaches
Lots of towns near Dallas have low crime, affordable homes, and good jobs; McKinney
is no exception. What makes it stand out is its gem of a downtown.
Lovingly restored 19th-century buildings house restaurants, boutiques,
and galleries; the 1875 courthouse contains a new performing-arts
center.
McKinney's employment opportunities are robust, sparing many residents a rush-hour drive of up to an hour to Dallas.
Defense contractor Raytheon has a 3,700-person division here, and a mix
of businesses in financial services, medical technology, and
eco-friendly manufacturing are moving in.
Though McKinney
has grown like mad over the past decade, you'd never suspect it when
driving through its tree-filled communities surrounded by ponds, parks,
and hiking trails. Residents say the town has handled the influx well,
building plenty of new schools and hospitals.
And the relatively low real-estate prices thrill transplants from
more expensive locales: A five-bedroom house, with a pool, set on a
golf course might go for $440,000, and you can find homes for a third
as much.
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Courtesy of Fort Collins/Ryan Burke |
6. Fort Collins, CO
Population: 141,000
Unemployment: 7.4%
Pluses: Outdoor activities, steady economy
Minus: School budget cuts
Bikers and beers. In most parts of the country, those two elements may be reasons to move elsewhere. But in the foothills of Colorado's Front Range, bikers mean cyclists: Fort Collins has 29 miles of well-used trails.
As for beers, this town has become a high-end microbrew mecca. New
Belgium Brewery (maker of Fat Tire) is based in this entrepreneurial
town, and competitors are moving in.
People here aren't slackers either. Bolstered by Colorado State University, which employs 7,000, "the Fort"
is a center of economic activity. Hewlett-Packard, the city's
second-largest employer, announced worldwide layoffs in June, but they
won't affect Fort Collins. In fact, the company is adding jobs here.
This idyllic town -- No. 1 in 2006 -- would rank even higher but for
one thing. (No, it's not last summer's Balloon Boy hoax, perpetrated by
the local Heene family.) Colorado schools are hurting. After the state
sliced public schools budget this year, Fort Collins's Poudre School
District laid off 139 full-time employees.
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Courtesy of City Overland Park |
7. Overland Park, KS
Population: 175,000
Unemployment: 5.3%
Pluses: Good schools, low cost of living
Minuses: Some job losses, not much excitement
Ask residents why they chose this Kansas City suburb and you hear one thing over and over: the schools.
Other
draws include a 300-acre arboretum and botanical garden, a biweekly
farmers' market, and a brand-new 12-field soccer complex, which hosts
local and national tournaments.
Overland Park's
biggest challenge in recent years has been from its largest employer,
Sprint. The company laid off more than 3,000 people here from 2007 to
2009.
But the town
has had enough success attracting new employers that its jobless rate
is still well below the national average. What's more, a division of
J.P. Morgan plans to move 800 positions here early next year.
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Courtesy of Town Fishers |
8. Fishers, IN
Population: 69,000
Unemployment: 6.2%
Pluses: Very low crime, inexpensive homes
Minus: Short on charm
This Indiana town
offers a winning combination of low-cost houses (you can snag a
three-bedroom for less than $150,000), easy access to the big city, and
good schools.
Plus, Fishers
is booming. Development abounds and fully 1,600 jobs were created here
last year; major employers include Sallie Mae and medical device firm
Roche Diagnostics.
True, Fishers
will never put anyone in mind of a quaint New England village. But
thanks to its myriad advantages, including lots of community spirit,
residents aren't complaining.
Sums up Debra O'Donnell, 46, a mother of two: "It's very easy to live here."
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Courtesy of Iowa State University |
9. Ames, IA
Population: 60,000
Unemployment: 4.3%
Pluses: Jobs galore, welcoming vibe
Minus: Cold winters
Unemployment at 4.3%? That's not a misprint: Ames is the home of Iowa
State University, which employs 9,000, and there are lots of biotech
and agriculture jobs nearby. Like many states, Iowa has trimmed
university funding, but the school has not had to make drastic cuts.
If the people who live here get bored, they have only themselves to
blame. Besides Iowa State's cultural and athletic offerings, Ames boasts 36 parks, a bustling shopping district, and a new aquatic center.
Sports are big in this town:
The high school boys basketball team, girls tennis team, and girls golf
team are state champions. But the friendliness of the community is what
newcomers tend to remark upon most.
Says Craig McFarland, 55, a
financial adviser who moved here with his family in 2006: "Our first
day, a neighbor came over with cookies."
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Courtesy of Rogers-Lowell Area Chambers of Commerce |
10. Rogers, AR
Population: 57,000
Unemployment: 5.8%
Pluses: Low cost of living, diversity
Minus: Strip malls
If you're inclined to dismiss a small city in Arkansas as a backwater, you're making a big mistake. Rogers is right next door to Bentonville, where Wal-Mart is headquartered.
Given the power of the retail behemoth, many Fortune 500 firms that
sell it their wares have moved executives to the area. Lots of them
have settled in Rogers, giving it a cosmopolitan feel. (Wal-Mart's CEO, Mike Duke, also calls Rogers home.)
They're drawn by top-notch schools and outdoor activities, including
swimming and wakeboarding on the town's two lakes and golfing on its
five courses.
(Not all is picture perfect: Rogers does contain
some rundown areas.) Though Wal-Mart has had layoffs in recent years,
the jobless rate here remains low.