Top 10 Best Cities to Live, Work and Play (8 of them are in flyover states)

[SaadBell 0]

I used to live in Sacramento, are they kidding, the crime is bad, I never felt safe living there.

[panamania79 2]

Our approach this year to picking the ten best cities in which to live and work was simple: Look for places with strong economies and abundant jobs, then demand reasonable living costs and plenty of fun things to do. When we ran the numbers, some of the names that popped up made us do a double take at first. So we hit the road to meet movers, shakers and regular folks, experience the ambience and take in the sights.

We discovered that our numbers guru, Kevin Stolarick, hadn't steered us wrong. Stolarick, research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity, says: "Our formula highlights cities not just with strong past performance, but also with all the ingredients for future success." One key to a bright future is a healthy shot of people in the creative class. People in creative fields -- scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists and entertainers -- are catalysts of vitality and livability in a city.

The cities that made our list also represent larger surrounding areas. And because we understand that city living isn't for everyone, we've highlighted some great suburbs, too.

Pack a bag and join us on a tour of the Best Cities for 2008 and prepare for some surprises.

1. Houston

Population: 5,542,048

Population Growth Since 2000: 14.9%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 31.3%

Cost-of-Living Index: 88.1 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income: $50,250

Income Growth Since 2000: 13.1%

2. Raleigh

Population: 995,662

Population Growth Since 2000: 19.9%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 36.1%

Cost-of-Living Index: 99 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income: $56,150

Income Growth Since 2000: 10.3%

3. Omaha

Population: 821,356

Population Growth Since 2000: 6.6%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 30%

Cost-of-Living Index: 89.4 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income: $51,627

Income Growth Since 2000: 15.1%

4. Boise

Population: 568,086

Population Growth Since 2000: 18.2%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 33.2%

Cost-of-Living Index: 95.5 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income: $49,833

Income Growth Since 2000: 16.6%

5. Colorado Springs

Population: 600,444

Population Growth Since 2000: 10.5%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 34.1%

Cost-of-Living Index: 95.3 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income Since 2000: 53,486

Income Growth Since 2000: 16.1%

6. Austin

Population: 1,506,425

Population Growth Since 2000: 17%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 36.5%

Cost-of-Living Index: 92.8 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income: $52,882

Income Growth Since 2000: 12.2%

7. Fayettville

Population: 419,455

Population Growth Since 2000: 17.3%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 31.4%

Cost-of-Living Index: 90.4 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income: $42,267

Income Growth Since 2000: 17.6%

8. Sacramento

Population: 2,067,117

Population Growth Since 2000: 13.1%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 34%

Cost-of-Living Index: 121.7 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income: $56,953

Income Growth Since 2000: 19.1%

9. Des Moines

Population: 532,425

Population Growth Since 2000: 9.6%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 32.1%

Cost-of-Living Index: 90.6 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income: $53,384

Income Growth Since 2000: 16.3%

10. Provo

Population: 474,351

Population Growth Since 2000: 20.6%

Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 32%

Cost-of-Living Index: 97.7 (100 being national average)

Median Household Income: $50,583

Income Growth Since 2000: 12.2%

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/artic...,-Work-and-Play

I don't like any of them.I would rather stay in dumpy little RI.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

No way does Fayetteville have 400k+ people. It has like 70k. There are about 400k+ in the whole metroplex, including Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, etc. Now I wonder about all their stats!

I live in one of those cities.

Me too, being that they want to annex me into Fayetteville I did live there though, before I bought this house.

where was that and where are you at now?

[Heracles 417]

Funny to hear you call them fly-over states Troll. Unlike Jersey of course, where it is all happening.

[Nasturtium 500]

No way does Fayetteville have 400k+ people. It has like 70k. There are about 400k+ in the whole metroplex, including Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, etc. Now I wonder about all their stats!

I live in one of those cities.

Me too, being that they want to annex me into Fayetteville I did live there though, before I bought this house.

where was that and where are you at now?

Fayetteville-- .2mi from the university, Springdale now.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

No way does Fayetteville have 400k+ people. It has like 70k. There are about 400k+ in the whole metroplex, including Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, etc. Now I wonder about all their stats!

I live in one of those cities.

Me too, being that they want to annex me into Fayetteville I did live there though, before I bought this house.

where was that and where are you at now?

Fayetteville-- .2mi from the university, Springdale now.

oh dang, i know where that is. i used to see a gal down around springdale.

i went to wal-mart #1 in rogers and saw the original five and dime in the bentonville square! what a small world

[Aubrey 10]

The pollution isn't any worse than some other large cities; in fact, it's less than other places, such as L.A. or even some smaller, lesser-known cities. None of that means Houston lacks pollution, but it's not quite as bad as many think. As for crime, it's certainly less than many, many other cities. Baltimore, for instance, has the highest crime rate (the last time I checked) in the U.S. and it's nowhere near the size of Houston. Much of the incredibly high crime figures the media has thrown about (due to the New Orleans refugees sticking around) have been dropping off.

In reference to the urban sprawl, it's not really bad. Houston has tons of freeways, so unless you're adamant about sticking to the side-streets, you can get most places by hopping on a freeway and find your destination pretty quickly. I tend to like the fact that the city is so large. I've been to smaller places before and it's driven me nuts. Then again, that's me.

Top 10 most polluted US cities

(By ozone)

1) Los Angeles, California

2) Bakersfield, California

3) Visalia/Porterville, California

4) Houston, Texas

5) Fresno/Madera, California

6) Sacramento, California

7) Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

8) New York City/Newark, New Jersey

9) Baltimore, Maryland./Washington, DC

10) Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Most dangerous metropolitan areas (2007):

01 Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI M.D.

02 Memphis, TN-MS-AR

03 Pine Bluff, AR

04 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV

05 Florence, SC

06 Myrtle Beach, SC

07 Flint, MI

08 Stockton, CA

09 Jackson, TN

10 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA

11 Miami-Dade County, FL M.D.

12 Charlotte-Gastonia, NC-SC

13 Hot Springs, AR

14 Saginaw, MI

15 Albuquerque, NM

16 Little Rock, AR

17 Yakima, WA

18 Tucson, AZ

19 Oakland-Fremont, CA M.D.

20 Macon, GA

21 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

22 Houston, TX

23 Modesto, CA

24 Sumter, SC

25 Alexandria, LA

And from UH's own magazine (2006):

Sprawl, he says, is a city “spreading out without a plan or design—like water—into the path of least resistance.” Ranked by amount of sprawl, Houston is second in the nation, just behind Atlanta. ...

Houston’s 4 million residents are spread across 2,000 square miles—all that travel to work, school, and shopping takes a toll. Besides air quality problems, sprawl causes traffic congestion, long commutes, and more wear-and-tear on infrastructure, especially roads. It makes evacuation in the event of an emergency an ordeal—remember Hurricane Rita?

Bad enough, imo. It's nothing personal, I just have a thing against miles and miles of concrete. So I moved to paradise.

[jundp 191]

I am surprised that neither Seattle nor Portland made it on this list.

I liked Austin quite a lot but not enough to ever move back to Texas I didn't really care for Houston, but I think I'm just biased against Texas because of my experiences there....I have no valid reasons to give for not liking the place.

ETA: I LOVE Idaho btw

Edited June 20, 2008 by jundp

[Heracles 417]

I am surprised Jersey did not make it on the list considering how awesome it is. Non flyoverish and all.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Boo-Yah!

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Bad enough, imo. It's nothing personal, I just have a thing against miles and miles of concrete. So I moved to paradise.

Aubrey!!! Don't tell them or they'll all want to move here and ruin it for us!!!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I am surprised Jersey did not make it on the list considering how awesome it is. Non flyoverish and all.

Jersey is a State. Not a city

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Jersey is a State. Not a city

And besides, when I point out that 8 of the 10 best cities to live, work and play are in flyover states.... that's a freakin' compliment.

Can you say 'chip on shoulder'? Geez.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yeah - what's with the Jersey trashing.

I've already said repeatedly that I don't have any particular attachment to the place - I believe you have too.

Trying to get a rise out of people over something they aren't really all that attached to seems a little lame...

[jundp 191]

Chip on the shoulder. Jeez.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Bs my city is the most beautiful!