2007 Top 10 Best Places to Live in US

And the winners are...
Some places have everything any family could want - economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a sense of community. See the top 10 Great American Towns - including homes for sale and million-dollar homes. (more)
1. Middleton, WI     6. Papillion, NE
2. Hanover, NH      7. Milton, MA
3. Louisville, CO    8. Chaska, MN
4. Lake Mary, FL   9. Nether Providence, PA
5. Claremont, CA 10. Suwanee, GA

1. Middleton, Wis.
Population: 17,400
Median home price (2006): $290,269
Average property taxes (2005): $5,067
Pros: Small-town charm; booming economy; extensive parks and bike trails
Cons: Do you like winter?

Many Middletonians commute to Madison, but Middleton proper has a strong pool of jobs too, mainly in the pharmaceutical, tech and medical industries. After business hours, Middleton has more going on than you might expect for a town of 17,000. The beer garden at the Capital Brewery is host to corporate mixers, and there are good restaurants downtown.

But make no mistake: Family life is what Middleton is about. In the summer you'll see parents and kids plying the bike trails of the conservancy, splashing in the town's waterslide-equipped pool or sailing on Lake Mendota. On the downside, winter is tough, and there's not great ethnic diversity.

Lakeview Park is one of the many green spaces throughout the town.

2. Hanover, N.H.
Population: 8,500
Median home price (2006): $428,329*
Average property taxes (N/A): N/A
Pros: Rich cultural and community opportunities; diversity
Cons: Winter isn't for wimps.

Hanover is more an international city than a pastoral hideaway. About 20% of residents are nonwhite, and more than two dozen nationalities are represented. A teaching hospital, environmental engineering and mid-size technology firms and Dartmouth College all attract the cosmopolitan crowd. Add a downtown dotted with shops and restaurants, throw in a myriad of year-round activities, and it's easy to see why people love it here.

But Hanover has drawbacks: It's out of the way - two hours from Boston and 90 minutes from Manchester, N.H. - and homes close to town can be pricey. If you can't stand winter, you won't like Hanover. But if you're the adventurous sort, the skiing and skating are great.

A barn sits in Etna, one of the oldest parts of town.

3. Louisville, Colo.
Population: 19,400
Median home price (2006): $322,812
Average property taxes (2006): $1,986
Pros: Historic downtown; hiking and skiing
Cons: Tech-heavy economy

Louisville was founded in 1882 by immigrant coal miners, and the old wooden buildings downtown still give the place the feel of a small frontier town. Louisville's economy, though, is decidedly 21st century: Technology firms are the area's mainstay, and Louisville is only six miles from Boulder and 25 from Denver. Outdoor life is spectacular. Louisville's own 26-mile wooded biking and running path winds through much of town. On summer Friday nights, residents head to the fairgrounds for concerts, craft booths and food.

Home prices are up recently, but an old farmhouse near downtown can be had for less than $200,000, and condos can be found for similar prices.

Downtown reflects the area's history.

4. Lake Mary, Fla.
Population: 13,200
Median home price (2006): $321,173
Average property taxes (2005): $2,419
Pros: Big-economy jobs, small-town feel, no income tax
Cons: Florida summers, Florida hurricanes

Lake Mary may be only 30 minutes from Orlando and 45 from Daytona Beach, but residents have plenty of shopping, restaurants and events in their own backyard. There are lakes for boating and fishing, and the Timacuan golf course lies in the center of town. Recreation is one thing, but jobs keep Lake Mary humming. On weekdays the population rockets from less than 14,000 to more than 35,000 as commuters arrive.

Housing prices have been on the rise, but a four-bedroom, three-bath house can still be had for $300,000. Of course, there's always the weather to worry about. In 2004 the town spent more than $2 million cleaning up after hurricanes.

The Timacuan golf course runs through the town's center.

5. Claremont, Calif.
Population: 35,900
Median home price (2006): $643,549
Average property taxes (2006): $2,834
Pros: Tight-knit community with topnotch schools
Cons: Poor air quality, high home prices

Thirty miles east of Los Angeles, Claremont came into its own in the early 20th century after the founding of Pomona College. Streets were named after prestigious East Coast schools, and residents were encouraged to plant trees.

Today, Claremont is called the City of Trees and Ph.D.s. The city has won the National Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA award for 19 straight years, and Pomona is part of a prestigious consortium known as the Claremont Colleges.

The downtown is a mix of hip boutiques and old-school businesses. And the historic College Heights Lemon Packing House is now home to the Claremont Art Museum, restaurants, a jazz bar and artists' lofts. And relative to much of California, it's affordable (emphasis on "relative").

Pomona College, with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.

6. Papillion, Neb.
Population: 18,800
Median home price (2006): $173,774
Average property taxes (2005): $3,071
Pros: Outdoor recreation, growing local economy
Cons: Lack of arts and culture

A small suburb about 12 miles from downtown Omaha, Papillion has grown and prospered along with the city, an increasingly important center of finance and insurance. Though Papillion's population is on the rise, its draws remain the same: low crime, good schools and a vast expanse of parkland. Recently, Papillion has spent more than half a million dollars renovating the historic downtown, putting in new sidewalks, faux-antique street lighting and ironwork accents.

Permits were issued for more than 300 new homes last year, but town leaders insist that they won't let the tide of development turn Papillion into a sea of subdivisions and strip malls.

One of Papillion's many parks

7. Milton, Mass.
Population: 25,700
Median home price (2006): $527,670
Average property taxes (2006): $3,824
Pros: Close to Boston; borders conservation land
Cons: Traffic, little commercial activity

Just eight miles south of the heart of Boston, Milton borders the Blue Hills Reservation, a 7,000-acre park with hiking, swimming and skiing. Proximity to the city is what brings - and keeps - Milton residents where they are. Its loyal citizens do age, but even then they don't move.

Milton boasts a diverse population, with minorities making up 30%. All six schools have recently been rebuilt, and the library is now expanding. East Milton Square is the town's Main Street, with coffee shops, a pizza place and a small grocery store. What's missing, most agree, is a destination eatery.

Estate gatehouse turned single-family home in Milton

8. Chaska, Minn.
Population: 22,500
Median home price (2006): $272,932
Average property taxes (2006): $2,752
Pros: Quality jobs, a beautiful setting
Cons: Winter; highway expansion will spur growth

Chaska has beauty. Just 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis, it's one of the more rural towns on our list, and its small 19th-century downtown quickly yields to open fields, farmland and the Minnesota River. And it has brains too. More than a dozen technology and biotech firms are based there. The town is a magnet for families, who can find reasonably priced homes, low taxes and quality schools.

With no highway direct to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Chaska is a bit isolated from Twin City sprawl. That's about to change, with a highway expansion expected next summer. The downside: Chaska officials expect the town's population to increase 50% in 15 years.

Chaska's downtown gazebo has hosted summer concerts for more than a century.

9. Nether Providence (Wallingford), Pa.
Population: 13,600
Median home price (2006): $309,319
Average property taxes (2006): $3,640
Pros: Affordable homes, top-rated schools
Cons: No real downtown

Spend a little time in Nether Providence, a.k.a. Wallingford (its largest community), and you'll find yourself forgetting that Philadelphia is 20 minutes away by car or commuter train. A 4.6-square-mile township of lush green hills, old stone houses and expansive parks, Nether Providence also offers good schools, and a nice home can be had for $300,000 or even less. Nether Providence doesn't have its own downtown, but most residents can walk or bike to Media, where there's a movie theater and plenty of locally owned shops and restaurants.

If the Philly economy were growing more briskly, Nether Providence would rank even higher. About 30% of the town's workers commute into the city.

Neighborhoods in Nether Providence are minutes from Philadelphia but feel worlds away.

10. Suwanee, Ga.
Population: 11,200
Median home price (2006): $293,868
Average property taxes (2006)2,311
Pros: Green space, affordable housing
Cons: Traffic, I-85 interchange

Six years ago the residents of Suwanee voted to more than double their property taxes. The payoff: a boost from 28 acres of green space to more than 270, and a feeling of investment in their hometown. That's abundantly clear at the newly developed Town Center. Built on a heavily trafficked downtown corner, it meshes park space, retail and office properties and housing into one multiuse plaza - and residents have embraced it in a big way. Housing is reasonable, and schools are topnotch.

Though the town has planned recent development deliberately, the area around Interstate 85, which runs through Suwanee's southeastern corner, lacks for aesthetics but not for congestion. Still, the rest of the city has a lot to offer.