Best places to live 2006

[Satty]

Top 10 small cities

10. Eden Prarie, MN

9. Fairfield, CT

8. Boise, ID

7. Scottsdale, AZ

6. Overland Park, KS

5. Cary, NC

4. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD

3. Sugar Land, TX

2. Naperville, IL

1. Fort Collins, CO

My critiques:

10--Minnesota, seriously?

9--I dont have the $$ to live in CT

8--I dont like potatos that much

7--Heat

6--Its in KS and not the good part, with the flat empty roads

5--I'd rather live in GA not GA Light

4--Maryland is still a state?

3--More heat

2--Used to live near enough, its not that great

1--Expensive

Link

There is more crap at the link, like a state-by-state breakdown of best cities, youngest cities, cities with the most singles, etc.

Edit: Ann Arbor is like 49% single, probably because MI people are ugly.

Edited July 17, 2006 by Satty

[the_yellow_dart]

Went on that site and answered the little quiz in the corner that asks what is important for you in a city. Here is where it told me I should live:

1 NY New York  8,143,776 
2 CA Los Angeles  3,904,507 
3 IL Chicago  2,873,790 
4 PA Philadelphia  1,455,807 
5 TX Houston  2,085,082 
6 AZ Surprise  56,487 
7 TX San Antonio  1,227,042 
8 TX Dallas  1,248,673 
9 AZ Phoenix  1,441,718 
10 CA San Diego  1,289,355 

Surprise? Is that a joke?

I could see myself living in NY for sure. If I had to live in the US, it would be there or Boston.

Edited July 17, 2006 by the_yellow_dart

[Bimmer325]

My sister lives in Fairfield, CT (#9).

[pow]

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bp.../states/CA.html

I swear... it's as if the Palos Verdes Peninsula doesn't exist. You never ever hear or read anything about it.

[capriceman]

Edit: Ann Arbor is like 49% single, probably because MI people are ugly.

167934[/snapback]

no since 49% of people in Ann Arbor can't legaly get married yet. Also who wants to marry bitchy snobby rich girls that cheat and back stab.

Im suprised Detroit isnt on the list. hmm i guess getting shot at doesnt make it a Best place does it.

[scharmer05]

Top 10 small cities

10. Eden Prarie, MN

9. Fairfield, CT

8. Boise, ID

7. Scottsdale, AZ

6. Overland Park, KS

5. Cary, NC

4. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD

3. Sugar Land, TX

2. Naperville, IL

1. Fort Collins, CO

My critiques:

10--Minnesota, seriously? 

9--I dont have the $$ to live in CT

8--I dont like potatos that much

7--Heat

6--Its in KS and not the good part, with the flat empty roads

5--I'd rather live in GA not GA Light

4--Maryland is still a state?

3--More heat

2--Used to live near enough, its not that great

1--Expensive

Link

There is more crap at the link, like a state-by-state breakdown of best cities, youngest cities, cities with the most singles, etc.

Edit: Ann Arbor is like 49% single, probably because MI people are ugly.

167934[/snapback]

Eden Prairie really is a nice town. If I were moving to the Minneapolis area i would more either there or Maple Grove.

[NOS2006]

Edit: Ann Arbor is like 49% single, probably because MI people are ugly.

167934[/snapback]

[regfootball]

Top 10 small cities

10. Eden Prarie, MN

9. Fairfield, CT

8. Boise, ID

7. Scottsdale, AZ

6. Overland Park, KS

5. Cary, NC

4. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD

3. Sugar Land, TX

2. Naperville, IL

1. Fort Collins, CO

My critiques:

10--Minnesota, seriously? 

9--I dont have the $$ to live in CT

8--I dont like potatos that much

7--Heat

6--Its in KS and not the good part, with the flat empty roads

5--I'd rather live in GA not GA Light

4--Maryland is still a state?

3--More heat

2--Used to live near enough, its not that great

1--Expensive

Link

There is more crap at the link, like a state-by-state breakdown of best cities, youngest cities, cities with the most singles, etc.

Edit: Ann Arbor is like 49% single, probably because MI people are ugly.

167934[/snapback]

i used to live in 10 and right now am just across the river.

its ok, its not extreme yuppie and its not blue hair. its well to do but still affordable in pockets. not pure white, and not extremely diverse. Chanhassen, Minnetonka or Maple Grove or Plymouth are more attractive to me.

as to number 6, a buddy lives near there and its yuppie land.

Edited July 17, 2006 by regfootball

[regfootball]

Eden Prairie really is a nice town.  If I were moving to the Minneapolis area i would more either there or Maple Grove.

167958[/snapback]

remodeling the mall there helped a lot. BTW, Eden Prairie Center is where they filmed MALLRATS and DROP DEAD GORGEOUS.

[Robert Hall]

Fort Collins is ok, a decent college town, but I like Boulder better.. though I prefer living here in Denver..I like the big city amenities, yet it's a short drive to the mountains. (though there is no ocean, something I do miss from when I lived in Florida as a teenager).

I used to live in Ann Arbor, Mi..it was a great place to go to college, but the lousy weather and Michigan economy doesn't attract me now..

As far as top 10 in size big cities go, I've lived in Chicago and Phoenix, and liked and disliked certain aspects of each.

Edited July 17, 2006 by moltar

[sciguy_0504]

Only one PA town on the entire list, I think. A lot of NJ towns, though. It seems odd because almost everyone I have talked to who lives in NJ hates it. Sky-high car insurance (because people from NJ DO NOT know how to drive), highest property tax rates in the country (now complete with higher sales tax, too) and the major cities in the south of the state are wastelands compared to those in the north because of the importance of NYC and the pull northern NJ politicians have.

Notice many areas are in areas of the country that do not have high population density.

[ocnblu]

I really liked Fort Collins when I was there in September of '92.

And Maryland is a very geographically diverse state. Out west you've got mountains, then you've got the urban centers, Baltimore/Washington/Annapolis, then you've got the spectacular Chesapeake Bay, the quiet Eastern Shore, and finally the ocean beaches. Something for everyone. I miss it, definitely.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

It suggested I live in these places:

1  	NY  	New York
2  CA  Los Angeles
3  AZ  Surprise
4  AZ  Lake Havasu City 
5  AZ  Phoenix 
6  AZ  Yuma
7  NV  Spring Valley
8  NV  Paradise 
9  AZ  Avondale 
10  AZ  Tucson
11  NM  Las Cruces
12  UT  St. George
13  NV  Henderson
14  AZ  Tempe
15  AZ  Mesa
16  AZ  Chandler 
17  TX  El Paso 
18  CA  Madera 
19  CA  Merced 
20  TX  Lubbock 
21  CA  Bakersfield 
22  CA  Redding
23  CA  Fresno
24  CA  Visalia 
25  CA  Chico

[trinacriabob]

Top 10 small cities

10. Eden Prarie, MN

9. Fairfield, CT

8. Boise, ID

7. Scottsdale, AZ

6. Overland Park, KS

5. Cary, NC

4. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD

3. Sugar Land, TX

2. Naperville, IL

1. Fort Collins, CO

167934[/snapback]

Opinionated me:

10. too 'effin cold

9. too 'effin uppity

8. too 'effin Mormon (they hate Catholics...we have the market share)

7. nice, except for 3 months of triple digits (bolts onto a major city-PHX)

6. I think it's near Kansas City....eh

5. don't know what it's near, obviously not near the Research Triangle

4. I think I've seen this between Baltimore and DC

3. near the Gulf (bolts onto a major city-Houston)

2. another boring-ass west Chicago suburb that's too expensive for what you get

1. too remote -- true, Boulder is closer to DEN, but I don't do granola

Not much in the West, the Pacific Northwest and Florida. I wonder why.

How about Chico, the foothill communities of Calif's Gold Country, Florida towns like Pensacola?

Edited July 18, 2006 by trinacriabob

[thegriffon]

Cary apparently is in or near the "Research Triangle" in NC, and very pretty in a scenic woodsy sort of way. Sugarland is very hot and humid and apparently popular with Asian immigrants accustomed to the heat and tropical storms. Given recent weather I'd have to pick somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.

[intrigued]

Fairfield is a very nice area, I live one town south of fairfield and went to highschool at fairfield prep on the fairfield U campus. Fairfield has some of the nicest best bang for the buck housing in fairfield county. It has a very nice beach and a good nighlife.

On the note of it being expensive you have to remember if you live in fairfield county and have a job here your job will pay significantly more than a comperable position in the midwest or central states. Put it this way the average undergrad buisness degree will net you 40 grand a year with benifits right out of college. Very few people end up owning their houses in fairfield county. They ivest in the realestate and by the tme they are ready to retire you sell it and make a a large surplus on the apreciated land value than you move to much cheaper northern connecticut or to a southern state.

Oh yeah its also less than an hour for NYC.

[regfootball]

Opinionated me:

10.  too 'effin cold

9.    too 'effin uppity

8.    too 'effin Mormon (they hate Catholics...we have the market share)

7.    nice, except for 3 months of triple digits (bolts onto a major city-PHX)

6.    I think it's near Kansas City....eh

5.    don't know what it's near, obviously not near the Research Triangle

4.    I think I've seen this between Baltimore and DC

3.    near the Gulf (bolts onto a major city-Houston)

2.    another boring-ass west Chicago suburb that's too expensive for what you get

1.    too remote -- true, Boulder is closer to DEN, but I don't do granola

Not much in the West, the Pacific Northwest and Florida.  I wonder why.

How about Chico, the foothill communities of Calif's Gold Country, Florida towns like Pensacola?

168213[/snapback]

Boise is mormoN?

[trinacriabob]

Boise is mormoN?

168387[/snapback]

Hell yes. After Utah, it would be Idaho and then, believe it or not, Nevada.

[Robert Hall]

Hell yes.  After Utah, it would be Idaho and then, believe it or not, Nevada.

168463[/snapback]

Arizona also has a lot of Mormons also...esp. in the East Valley suburbs of Phoenix...

I noticed Colorado Springs ranked #1 in Money's best 'big' cities (over 300k population)...it's a pretty place with a great climate, a lot to do outdoors (I lived there 5 years--moved 50 miles north to Denver when the high-tech job market tanked),

but it always felt more like a big small town than a big city to me...and the biggest problem is that it is overrun with evangelical Christians (Focus on the Family is based there) and Republicans. Scary place politically, but I still have a lot of friends there.

Money's Best Big Cities

Edited July 19, 2006 by moltar

[trinacriabob]

Colorado Springs ranked #1 in Money's best 'big' cities (over 300k population)...it's a pretty place with a great climate, a lot to do outdoors

evangelical Christians

and Republicans. 

Money's Best Big Cities

168471[/snapback]

I don't like being hit over the head with it...

For some reason, I thought this place and Denver were about 100 to 150 apart (like LA and SD)

[trinacriabob]

I really liked Fort Collins when I was there in September of '92.

168031[/snapback]

Yeah, but did it like YOU? Guess not. :AH-HA_wink:

As far as MD/DE, I haven't been to their shores. I would actually like to see VA Beach, given that my best friend from childhood's sister has taken up residence there (her husband is military). I have seen the west of MD, notably around Harper's Ferry, WV, and it was when fall colors where at peak....very nice.

[ocnblu]

The waitress at the little diner I ate at a couple of times liked me. Little did she know.

[Enzora]

I worked in Cary yesterday. It's a pretty basic suburb, lots of urban sprawl and strip malls, nothing spectacular about the place. But it does have a high percentage of transplanted northerners, so I guess it's good for those people who want to live in the south without actually ever having to deal with southerners.

[Cory Wolfe]

I cannot believe Brookville did not make that list...

[Robert Hall]

I don't like being hit over the head with it...

For some reason, I thought this place and Denver were about 100 to 150 apart (like LA and SD)

168568[/snapback]

Nope..from downtown to downtown, it's about 70 miles.. from northern Co Springs to the south Denver suburbs, it's about 50... lots of commuters... (I used to do it, 58 miles each way).

[The O.C.]

Top 10 small cities

10. Eden Prarie, MN

9. Fairfield, CT

8. Boise, ID

7. Scottsdale, AZ

6. Overland Park, KS

5. Cary, NC

4. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD

3. Sugar Land, TX

2. Naperville, IL

1. Fort Collins, CO

My critiques:

10--Minnesota, seriously? 

9--I dont have the $$ to live in CT

8--I dont like potatos that much

7--Heat

6--Its in KS and not the good part, with the flat empty roads

5--I'd rather live in GA not GA Light

4--Maryland is still a state?

3--More heat

2--Used to live near enough, its not that great

1--Expensive

Link

There is more crap at the link, like a state-by-state breakdown of best cities, youngest cities, cities with the most singles, etc.

Edit: Ann Arbor is like 49% single, probably because MI people are ugly.

167934[/snapback]

My critiques....

It looks like high housing costs really impacted this list.....except for Fairfield, which is still pricey. CA cities suffered as a result....

10) I don't know about Eden Prairie....but Minneapolis is a pretty nice city....it may be midwest, but it's no "rust-belt" city. Much newer and cleaner than other midwestern cities such as Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis, etc.

9) I'm surprised Fairfield made the list with how high the housing costs are there and how difficult a commute into NYC is now.

Boise is beautiful.....one of my favorite cities. Amazing how a city of about only 200K people can be so vibrant and big-city-like.

7) Scottsdale I'm also a big fan off. Yes it's hot in the summer, but the city brings some charm and culture into the Valley of the Sun. The only real downsides are sprawl (it's quite a large city now in area) and an inflated ego due to the increasing wealth in the area (....my friend that lives in PHX tells me they refer to Scottsdale now as "The 'Dale" a take off of Orange County's "The O.C.")

6) Been there. Aunt and Uncle live in next-door Leawood. I don't see the appeal. Lots of cookie-cutter strip centers, shopping malls, chain restaurants, and subdivisions. It's flat. It's ugly.

5) Never been there.

4) Interesting take on a "master-planned" community.

3) Texas.....grew up there. Hot, humid, muggy, ugly, and no culture.

2) Naperville.....see my comments on #6 (Overland Park.) Also a non-descript, yet somehow upscale suburb of Chicago. My uncle used to work there. I don't get this appeal either.

1) Fort Collins is a great little town....and has a young, college-type upbeat feel.

It just seems to me that the lists are all about compiling statistics.....and the statistics are formulted to appeal to "typical" american families. When I put in MY requirements, New York and Los Angeles were the top two cities that came up. How NY got there when I put weather as a top priority amazes me.....but that's what came up.

[Flybrian]

NYC has tons of undeniable American charm.

[Charger4U]

my house certainley is on the top 2 BILLION, or at least it shouldnt be

[DetroitNut90]

Columbia and Ellicot City are no.4?!? I'd agree with that, but only if you never left the community limits of either place. Columbia does have a nice mall, though.

[trinacriabob]

NYC has tons of undeniable American charm.

168725[/snapback]

Provided by tons of abrasive yet charming people.

[HarleyEarl]

Yes, but Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is the best city in the world to live.

[trinacriabob]

Yes, but Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is the best city in the world to live. 

168994[/snapback]

Yeah, Vahn-koo-vair, baybay! Been more times than I can count. Stunning...right up there with SF for taking someone's breath away...every one I've taken there does the "Ooooohhh" from the viewpoint coming off of UBC into the Kitsilano area, with the West End and North Van in the backdrop.

However, it is awfully gray (thanks for the summer pic), expensive, the women are unattractive as this is an extension of the Pacific Northwest (except for Diana Krall), a little smug (it is British in its roots) and the multi-cultural aspect isn't as "multi" anymore (it tilts to a few dominant groups) whereas years ago, it was a true mosaic.

The other thing is I tell people not to get TOO excited for this is Canada's Miami.

Left to right:

West Van (beyond), West End, Granville Island, Yaletown, Cambie Street Bridge, Canada Place with Hyatt revolving rooftop restaurant (beyond), GM domed stadium, False Creek, Expo 86 site, Grouse Mountain (beyond). Gorgeous!

Edited July 20, 2006 by trinacriabob

[toyoguy]

Sugar Land really sucks now, I was born and raised there

[Turbojett]

what little bit of Lake Havasu City I've seen was beautiful, and I wouldn't mind visiting more often, but I wouldn't live there. It gets too hot out in the desert, and the town is full of rich baby boomers who ALL DRIVE SUV's.

I mentioned on another message board that Flagstaff, Albuquerque, and Winston-Salem are beautiful cities, and I wouldn't mind living in any of those places. Kingman, AZ is also a nice little town, but again--desert. LA is a very beautiful city to go sightseeing in, just as long as you stay out of the trouble spots (i.e. half the freaking city)

Towns I could NEVER live in, no matter what--

Boston. I'm sorry, but the street patterns in that area are very confusing, and it's more Ghettoficated than East LA, not to mention that the majority of the people there are almost rediculously liberal--and this is coming from a Californian. Plus the taxes tend to be pretty high there. No wonder everybody crosses into New Hampshire to buy groceries (no sales tax, baby!).

Houston=SCARY. Nuff said.

NYC. Never been, and although I'd love to visit, I don't think I could handle living there. The city would eat me alive.

Detroit. Though it may be the Mecca for all car enthusiasts, well, refer to Houston and NYC.

Edited July 25, 2006 by Turbojett

[zhawk]

Yes, but Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is the best city in the world to live. 

168994[/snapback]

Loved going up their as a kid. I lived about 30 miles south of the Canada-US border and was up there so many times I could never keep track.

The places I enjoy living won't ever show up on a list like this though. I prefer very small towns and lots of countryside. Hmmm, that explains why I live where I do.

[z28luvr01]

Here's my list. Bob, I bet you won't be all that shocked when you read it

1 NY New York  8,143,776 
2 AZ Yuma  80,900 
3 AZ Lake Havasu City  50,316 
4 NV Paradise  215,085 
5 AZ Surprise  56,487 
6 NV Spring Valley  162,255 
7 NV Sunrise Manor  185,435 
8 AZ Mesa  453,257 
9 AZ Chandler  223,517 
10 AZ Tempe  167,917 
11 AZ Phoenix  1,441,718 
12 AZ Avondale  53,797 
13 CA Madera  49,239 
14 UT St. George  59,938 
15 NV Henderson (finalist) 231,457 
16 AZ Gilbert (finalist) 145,217 
17 AZ Peoria  129,227 
18 NM Las Cruces  77,797 
19 CA Visalia  99,575 
20 TX El Paso  591,179 
21 AZ Scottsdale (winner) 225,454 
22 NM Santa Fe (finalist) 64,226 
23 CA Bakersfield  274,413 
24 TX Odessa  91,981 
25 CA Chico  64,425 

[The O.C.]

Detroit. Though it may be the Mecca for all car enthusiasts, well, refer to Houston and NYC.

170988[/snapback]

If you want a "mecca" for car enthusiasts.....you wanna live in SoCal....not Detroit. There's more exotics, old restored domestic iron, hot rods, and overall unique cars than you can shake a stick at.

The ONLY place I've ever been that even comes close in the auto exotica category is maybe Miami Beach....

[zhawk]

You should see some of the car collections up here in the Pacific Northwest. Its amazing what is up here. The LeMay collection itself is incredible and will be available for viewing all the time as soon as they can get the museum built.

I love watching the cars that are down in SoCal. With your weather the come out more than our rare cars do.

[frogger]

I'm usually in Cary, NC a few weeks a year for work, its pretty boring. I'm usually in NYC a week every couple of years for a vacation (actually was there last week), love it.

[trinacriabob]

Here's my list. Bob, I bet you won't be all that shocked when you read it

1 NY New York  8,143,776

11 AZ Phoenix  1,441,718

15 NV Henderson (finalist) 231,457

23 CA Bakersfield  274,413

25 CA Chico  64,425

171017[/snapback]

Arizona...Arizona...and more Arizona...

Yeah, but your hometown came in at Number 1 and the rest is all arid intermountain West.

Wow, some population surprises. PHX has 1 and a half million? Henderson and Bakersfield are at a quarter of a million? Chico is, just like its name, small...but for some weird reason, I like it and I tend to dislike noisy college towns. (Nick always add a post that he hates it...LOL).

[Robert Hall]

Yes, Phoenix surpassed Philadelphia last year to become the 5th largest US city... 1.5 mill and about 3.5 mill in the metro area..they've been growing like crazy for years..my sister has been there off and on for 25 years and has seen a lot of growth and change.

[trinacriabob]

Yes, Phoenix surpassed Philadelphia last year to become the 5th largest US city... 1.5 mill and about 3.5 mill in the metro area..they've been growing like crazy for years..my sister has been there off and on for 25 years and has seen a lot of growth and change.

171405[/snapback]

Houston is number 4. Any thoughts on Houston? I almost think I'd like it better than PHX because you can be at the Gulf in 45 minutes...but others probably think I'm crazy.

[Robert Hall]

Houston is number 4.  Any thoughts on Houston?  I almost think I'd like it better than PHX because you can be at the Gulf in 45 minutes...but others probably think I'm crazy.

171410[/snapback]

The heat and humidity would be a huge turn-off for me as far as Houston. And that it is in Texas. And the threat of hurricanes and flooding...

My sister is working there 4 days currently on a contract, and says the weather this summer has been more unpleasant than Phoenix because of the humidity and rain..

Edited July 26, 2006 by moltar

[The O.C.]

Houston is number 4.  Any thoughts on Houston?  I almost think I'd like it better than PHX because you can be at the Gulf in 45 minutes...but others probably think I'm crazy.

171410[/snapback]

I'd take Phoenix over Houston (used to live in TX myself.)

I simply think the desert terrain, flora, and mountains there are beautiful. Houston is flat...flat...flat.

Also, I'll take the high heat in Phoenix versus the humidity in Houston ANY day of the week.

Finally, Phoenix has some really great areas such as Scottsdale, downtown Tempe, and a surprisingly-renovated downtown Phoenix that add some interesting nightlife and/or "culture."

[The O.C.]

....some more interesting population statistics from the recently revised '05 census update....

* San Jose, CA (heart of silicon valley) increased population to ~ 912,000....moving it into the #10 largest-city-in-America spot....moving knocking Detroit down to 11th place....and Detroit ended up with ~ 887,000 people....sliding below the 900K mark for the first time in a VERY long time....

* San Jose is also the third largest city in CA. with about 172K MORE people than neighboring San Francisco (which is about the same size as Manhattan Island without the four other bouroughs....very land constrained.)

* Chicago now has a million LESS people than Los Angeles.

* San Antonio has grown larger than Dallas to capture the #2 spot in Texas. Also, with 1.25M people....but a metro area of only 1.9M people....San Antonio is a large city...with very few suburbs.

* At 461,000 people, "little" Fresno, CA., in the San Joaquin Valley, has grown larger than "big" cities such as Kansas City, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, and is about as big as Atlanta (470K.)

* Seattle (574K) and Portland (533K) are almost the same size. Seattle, however, has ~ 1.7M MORE people in it's metro area.

* Minneapolis has only 373K people. But anyone that's been there knows that it has a skyline worthy of a city three times that size and is the most impressive in the midwest with the exception of Chicago.

Just some interesting thoughts!