Best
Places To Live in the U.S.
By
Krista
September
18, 2009
This is research
I have collected about the best cities to live in (including cost of living,
commuting, stuff to do, weather, etc.), to grow up in, and buy real estate. Interestingly, my research indicated that the best
places to raise kids that have the best cost of living and the most to do are
near the Great Lakes.
According to these and other
information I have collected over the years, the best places overall to live
and raise a family, have fun, and enjoy the weather all year long are (not in
any real order except the red and underlined areas weigh more):
Illinois - Mount Prospect,
Chicago, Naperville, Springfield
Missouri - Kansas City
(this is actually listed
once as Kansas and it is a town that has two states because the border goes
through the city)
Virginia - Virginia Beach, Newport News, Norfolk
(From my experiences, VA is the cleanest state with tough police
and traffic laws)
Hawaii -
Honolulu
Ohio -
Delaware County
{near Columbus} (http://www.co.delaware.oh.us/),
Geauga County {near
Cincinnati} (http://www.co.geauga.oh.us/),
Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron
Indiana
- Fort Wayne,
Hamilton County, Indianapolis
Wisconsin – Waukesha (near Milwaukee, which is
near Chicago),
Milwaukee,
Madison, Ozaukee, Eau Claire
Kansas - Kansas City (listed as Missouri also),
Overland Park (near Kansas
City),
Wichita, Johnson County
Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh,
Philadelphia, Chester County
(suburb of Philadelphia)
Montgomery County
Texas – Austin**,
San Antonio, Dallas,
Houston, Euless, Plano
Colorado - Denver,
Colorado
Springs**, Colorado, Fort Collins
CALIFORNIA
North California
South Bay (According to
Google Maps, I think this is referring to Eureka, CA)
Midwest California
San Francisco, San Jose,
Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Fremont, Berkeley, Fairfield
Southern California
Los Angeles, San Bernandino,
Arcadia, Fontana, Oceanside,
San Diego**, Corona, Escondido
**San Diego, California and
Austin, Texas are the best places for singles
Colorado Springs is listed
as a great place to bring up kids AND a great place for singles.
Bibliography:
Facebook suggestions I
received were: Colorado Springs, CO. & Cody, WY.
And FYI: Everyone raves
about San Diego, CA, Austin, TX, and Portland, OR...
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/11/1110_best_places_for_kids/index.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24713234/
http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/27/schools-places-family-forbeslife-cz_zg_0630realestate.html
http://moving.about.com/od/whymove/a/best_places.htm
http://www.forbes.com/2008/05/12/outdoors-health-cities-forbeslife-cx_rr_0512realestate.html
http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/24/cities-commute-fuel-forbeslife-cx_mw_0424realestate.html
The next pages are the
details I collected for this article, with links so you can read about these
places yourself.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/27/schools-places-family-forbeslife-cz_zg_0630realestate.html
2) Ozaukee County,
Wisconsin
3) Johnson County, Kansas
4) Geauga Couny,
Ohio
5) Delaware County, Ohio
6) Morris County, New Jersey
7) Hunterdon County, New Jersey
8) Waukesha County,
Wisconsin
9) Montgomery
County, Pennsylvania
10) Chester County,
Pennsylvania
http://moving.about.com/od/whymove/a/best_places.htm
Safest Places To Live
1. Honolulu,
Hawaii
2. Bosie,
Idaho
3. Sante
Fe, New Mexico
4. Yakima,
Washington
5. Spokane,
Washington
Best Places For Singles
1. Austin,
Texas
2. Colorado
Springs, Colorado
3. San
Diego, California
4. Raleigh/Durham,
North Carolina
5. Seattle,
Washington
Best Places For Families
1. Denver,
Colorado
2. Norfolk/Virginia
Beach/Newport News, Virginia
3. Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota
4. Miami,
Florida
5. Orlando,
Florida
Best Retirement
Communities
1. Fort
Collins, Colorado
2. Bellingham,
Washington
3. Raleigh/Durham/Chapel
Hill, North Carolina
4. Sarasota,
Florida
5. Fayetteville,
Arkansas
http://www.forbes.com/2008/05/12/outdoors-health-cities-forbeslife-cx_rr_0512realestate.html
Best Cities For The
Outdoors
1)
San
Francisco, CA
2)
San
Diego, CA*
3)
San
Jose, CA
4)
Jacksonville, FL
5)
Phoenix, AZ
6)
Tampa, FL
7)
Minneapolis,
MN
8)
Austin, TX*
9)
Las Vegas, NV
10)
Virginia Beach, VA
11)
Seattle, WA
12)
Washington, DC
13)
Denver,
CO
14)
Sacramento,
CA
15)
Boston, MA
16)
Kansas
City, MO
17)
Los
Angeles, CA
18)
Portland, OR *
19)
Cincinnati,
OH
20)
New York, NY
21)
Dallas, TX
22)
Miami, FL
23)
Atlanta, GA
24)
San Antonio, TX
25)
Chicago,
IL
26)
St Louis, MO
27)
Oklahoma City, OK
28)
Baltimore, MD
29)
Philadelphia,
PA
30)
Houston, TX
31)
Columbus,
OH
32)
Charlotte,
NC
33)
Louisville, KY
34)
Cleveland,
OH
35)
Memphis, TN
36)
Nashville, TN
37)
Milwaukee,
WI
38)
Pittsburgh,
PA
39)
Indianapolis,
IN
40)
Detroit, MI
* People rave great things
about these places.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/24/cities-commute-fuel-forbeslife-cx_mw_0424realestate.html
1) Buffalo, NY
2) Salt Lake City, UT
3)
Milwaukee,
WI
4) Oklahoma City, OK
5)
Pittsburgh,
PA
6)
Cleveland,
OH
7) Hartford, CT
8) Kansas City, MO
9)
Cincinnati,
OH
10) Richmond, VA
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/11/1110_best_places_for_kids/index.htm
The Best Places To Raise
Kids That You Can Afford To Live For 2009
Click here to read more about Mount Prospect
and the other best places in the U.S. to raise kids.
Across the board, Cook
County, Illinois ranked the highest
This list is in
alphabetical order on their website, not 2,3,4. Only #1 is listed as such in
their article.
1)
Mount
Prospect, Illinois
¯ Huntsville, Alabama*
¯ Anchorage, Alazka
¯ Gilbert, Arizona
(runners up, Phoenix and Scottsdale)*
¯ Springdale, Arkansas
¯ Arcadia, California
¯ Fort Collins, Colorado
¯ West Haven, Connecticut
¯ Wilmington, Delaware
¯ Pembroke Pines, Florida
¯ Warner Robins, Georgia
¯ Honolulu, Hawaii
¯ Boise, Idaho
¯ Fort Wayne, Indiana
¯ West Des Moines, Iowa
¯ Overland Park, Kansas
¯ Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky
¯ Bossier City, Loiusiana
¯ Portland, Maine
¯ Gaithersburg, Maryland
¯ Malden, Massachusetts
¯ Ann Arbor, Michigan
¯ Eagan, Minnesota*
¯ Biloxi, Mississippi
¯ LeeÕs Summit, Missouri
¯ Billings, Montana
¯ Omaha, Nebraska
¯ Paradise, Nevada
¯ Nashua, New
Hampshire
¯ Edison, New
Jersey
¯ Rio Rancho, New
Mexico
¯ New Rochelle, New
York
¯ Jacksonville, North
Carolina
¯ Bismarck, North
Dakota
¯ Columbus, Ohio
¯ Lawton, Oklahoma
¯ Bend, Oregon
¯ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
¯ Pawtucket, Rhode
Island
¯ Rock Hill, South
Carolina
¯ Sioux Falls, South
Dakota
¯ Murfreeboro, Tennessee
¯ Euless, Texas
¯ Orem, Utah
(known as ÒFamily City USAÓ is near SLC, UT)
¯ Burlington, Vermont
¯ Virginia Beach, Virginia
¯ Bellevue, Washington
¯ Charleston, West
Virginia
¯ Eau Claire, Wisconsin
¯ Casper, Wyoming
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24713234/
May 20, 2008
1
Honolulu, Hawaii
2
Virginia Beach, Virginia
3
Billings, Montana
4
Columbus, Georgia
5
San
Diego, California
6
Des Moines, Iowa
7
Minneapolis,
Minnesota
8
Madison,
Wisconsin
9
Colorado
Springs, Colorado
10
Santa
Rosa, California
11
Wichita,
Kansas
12
Los
Angeles, California
13
Corona,
California
14
Austin, Texas
15
Stamford, Connecticut
16
Omaha, Nebraska
17
Naperville,
Illinois
18
Fort
Wayne, Indiana
19
Springfield,
Illinois
20
Boise, Idaho
21
Manchester, New
Hampshire
22
South
Bay Area, California
23
New York, New
York
24
Fontana,
California
25
Louisville, Kentucky
26
Plano, Texas
27
Oceanside,
California
28
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
29
Sacramento,
California
30
Ann Arbor, Michigan
31
Reno, Nevada
32
Las Vegas, Nevada
33
Lincoln, Nebraska
34
San
Bernardino, California
35
Grand Rapids, Michigan
36
Raleigh-Durham,
North
Carolina
37
Kansas
City, Kansas
38
Fremont,
California
39
Buffalo, New
York
40
Berkeley,
California
41
Cambridge, Massachusetts
42
Kansas City, Missouri
43
Waterbury, Connecticut
44
Syracuse, New
York
45
Phoenix, Arizona
46
Albuquerque, New
Mexico
47
Akron,
Ohio
48
Boston, Massachusetts
49
Escondido,
California
50
Fairfield,
California
The cities that were
listed most (4 times each) are:
Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas (listed
both ways)
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Then, listed 3 times each:
Austin, TX,
Boise, ID,
Columbus, OH,
Durham, NC,
Honolulu, HI,
Minneapolis/St Paul, MN,
Oklahoma City, OK,
Pittsburgh, PA,
Raleigh, NC,
San Diego, CA
States that have the highest
number of listings:
California listed 20 times
Ohio listed 10 times
North Carolina listed 9
times
Texas listed 8 times
Virginia listed 7 times
Florida listed 7 times