| Each year, Money magazine rates hundreds of | | | | followed by Mesa, Arizona (442,800). |
| American cities in order to help folks who may be | | | | The top ten list of big cities was rounded out by |
| yearning to move be able to find the best new | | | | Raleigh, North Carolina (341,500); San Diego, |
| place to settle. The magazine compiles statistics | | | | California (1,255,500); Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| on various factors, such as housing affordability, | | | | (438,400); Omaha, Nebraska (414,500); Wichita, |
| job growth, commute time, schools, weather, | | | | Kansas (354,900); and New York, New York |
| access to health care, leisure pursuit possibilities, | | | | (8,143,200). |
| crime rate, and quality of life, and then publishes | | | | Since many people are concerned about crime, |
| its findings once a year. | | | | Money ranked cities according to crime rates, and |
| For the year 2006, the overall winner was Fort | | | | the safest city in America turned out to be |
| Collins, Colorado, followed by Naperville, Illinois, and | | | | Wayne, New Jersey, followed by a pair of |
| Sugar Land, Texas. Money magazine was | | | | Connecticut towns, Fairfield and Greenwich. Two |
| especially impressed by the many parks in Fort | | | | Nevada towns, Paradise and Sunrise Manor, were |
| Collins, including some sixty miles of biking and | | | | next, and the rest of the top ten was comprised |
| hiking trails in a town of 128,000 people located | | | | of another Connecticut town (Manchester, 7th); |
| some 5,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains. | | | | and four more New Jersey cities (East Brunswick, |
| There are plenty of jobs in Fort Collins, too, with | | | | 6th; Cherry Hill, 8th, Edison, 9th, and Hamilton, |
| giant companies like HP, Eastman Kodak, and | | | | 10th). |
| Agilent Technologies maintaining a large presence | | | | If you're single and yearn to live in a city with lots |
| in town. Fort Collins is also the home of Colorado | | | | of other single people, Money magazine's data |
| St. University and Poudre Valley Hospital, which | | | | suggests moving to Bloomington, Indiana, where |
| provide 10,000 more jobs between them. | | | | 58.2% of the population is unattached. There |
| Rounding out the rest of the top ten most livable | | | | were nine other American towns in which more |
| American towns were: Columbia/Ellicott City, | | | | than half the residents were single, including New |
| Maryland; Cary, North Carolina; Overland Park, | | | | Brunswick, New Jersey (54.6%); College Station, |
| Kansas; Scottsdale, Arizona; Boise, Idaho; Fairfield, | | | | Texas (54.3%); Ames (52.5%) and Iowa City |
| Connecticut; and Eden Prairie, Minnesota. | | | | (52%), Iowa; Cambridge (52%), Somerville |
| Money magazine also rates the country's largest | | | | (51.3%), and Boston (50.4%), Massachusetts; |
| cities annually, as well, and publishes a separate list | | | | Berkeley, California (50.3%); and Champaign, Illinois |
| of America's top ten most livable big cities. This | | | | (50.2%). |
| year's winner was Colorado Springs, Colorado, | | | | If you're thinking about relocating, there are many |
| making it a clean sweep for the Centennial State, | | | | factors to consider. Explore your options and |
| although Colorado Springs was the second | | | | make your own list of priorities. |
| smallest city on the list in population, at 369,800. | | | | Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. |
| Coming in second was Austin, Texas (690,300), | | | | |