Low taxes, reasonably priced homes. Also great educational facilities, best hospitals, as well as lots of good jobs nearby.
MONEY’s annual “Best Places to Live” list includes those categories and many more. This year’s listing targets residential areas with populations from 50,000 to 300,000, assessing and rating them on about 60 factors, from median home costs to the median high temperature as well as graduation rates to crime rates.
With the global economy appearing to run in slow-moving manner, MONEY as well provided additional weight to places that ranked well on some key financial elements : the job market, economic opportunity, as well as housing price range.
The reasoning, MONEY editors outlined, is plain : Simply because it’s not sufficient to reside in a nice place. You would like to be able to live nicely.
Naperville, Illinois
10. Naperville, Illinois. It’s beauty does not come inexpensive. The standard home sold for $350,000 in 2016, although that was down a little bit year over year. However with a median household earnings of $122,600, the ratio of money to home prices is much less than in lots of upscale communities.
Beaverton, Oregon
9. Beaverton, Oregon. Among the top selling points — together with the reality that Nike’s headquarters is situated here — is value. Property taxes are around 85% of exactly what you’d pay in Portland, while the median house cost is $320,000. One more reason you are going to find extra cash in your wallet : Oregon is among only 5 states without sales tax.
Weston, Florida
8. Weston, Florida. Geography is factor to much of Weston, Fla.,’s achievements. Situated within uncomplicated commuting distance of Miami and also Fort Lauderdale, this organized community also provides ample employment options. Weston is on top of MONEY’s list for economic program, a category powered mostly by buying power. Which means residents have to sink much less of their household earnings (the median is $99,690 annually) to purchase a house than residents in many areas around the country.
Clarkstown, New York
7. Clarkstown, New York. In all honesty, Clarkstown perhaps chosen the wrong name — it needs to be Clarkstowns. This local community on the Hudson River is in fact nine villages knitted collectively by their bucolic set up as well as reasonably priced houses, all within a 35-mile drive of New York City. In one of the very most costly real estate markets in the state, Clarkstown’s $360,000 median household charges are a deal — that’s 34% less than in neighboring Westchester County.
Highlands Ranch, Colo.
6. Highlands Ranch, Colorado. A bedroom community in which inhabitants sleep perfectly at night. Indeed, they affectionately speak of their hometown, around 15 miles south of downtown Denver, simply because “the bubble” crime is declined, the schools are first-class, along with the unemployment rate is a downright skimpy 3.4%.
Parsippany-Troy Hills, N.J.
5. Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey. Remains to be very much a New York City suburb. The Big Apple is just 35 miles away, along with several residents are commuters. However it is also unexpectedly inexpensive by regional standards. The standard house costs around $356,500 ; property taxes into it might run about $8,220 annually. Which will sound expensive, however citizens pay much less in property taxes pertaining to their homes’ values in Parsippany compared to they do in 75% of the New Jersey spots on MONEY’s list.
West Des Moines, Iowa
4. West Des Moines, Iowa. Is now a family-friendly city that is a haven for great shopping, a growing arts community, as well as sufficient good jobs to field any number of goals. This also leads MONEY’s list in a different vital category. The median house cost in the very first quarter of 2016 was just $187,500. Those reasonable prices are only among the factors that thriving West Des Moines yet feels like small-town America.
Plano, Texas
3. Plano, Texas. Transplants have assisted earn Plano, Texas, exceptionally different. Around 43% of citizens are nonwhite, as well as 80 languages are talked in its well-regarded academic institutions. Exactly why are they visiting the town ? Jobs. J.C. Penney, Frito-Lay, Bank of America, PepsiCo, Cigna, as well as Intel almost all have massive operations in the city. No surprise Plano’s motto is : “A Great Place to Do Business.”
Eden Prairie, Minn.
2. Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Has seemed on MONEY’s Best Places list many times and ended No. 1 in 2010. One cause of its good results : The economy is self-sustaining. Many big employers, such as Optum, C.H. Robinson, Starkey, as well as Supervalu, have their head office here. Although Eden Prairie has just 62,000 individuals, it is actually a haven for 57,000 jobs along with a downright skimpy 3.6% unemployment rate.
Columbia, Md.
1. Columbia, Maryland. Becomes 50 next year, however it’s never appeared much better. It positions in the top 5% of the 823 places during this year’s list for job growth as well as economic chance. The educational facilities are among the state’s ideal. Along with this too expensive corner of the country, Columbia’s median house cost is approximately $300,000, 11% lower than in Gaithersburg, just one county over.
