Top 50 Cities to live in

[Nicrez]

According to MSNBC''s reporting from the Today show:

Link to MSNBC - Today

1. Charlottesville, VA
2. Santa Fe, NM
3. San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA
4. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, CA
5. Honolulu, HI
6. Ann Arbor, MI
7. Atlanta, GA
8. Asheville, NC
9. Reno, NV
10. Corvallis, OR
11. Roanoke, VA
12. Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA
13. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
14. Bryan-College Station, TX
15. Lynchburg, VA
16. Olympia, WA
17. Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA-NC
18. Colorado Springs, CO
19. Nassau-Suffolk, NY
20. Pueblo, CO
21. Eugene-Springfield, OR
22. Austin-San Marcos, TX
23. Lafayette, IN
24. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI
25. Dover, DE
26. Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV
27. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
28. Pittsburgh, PA
29. Bloomington, IN
30. Stamford-Norwalk, CT
31. State College, PA
32. Abilene, TX
33. Champaign-Urbana, IL
34. Athens, GA
35. Wichita, KS
36. Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
37. Madison, WI
38. Bellingham, WA
39. Las Cruces, NM
40. New York, NY
41. Dayton-Springfield, OH
42. Bloomington-Normal, IL
43. Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
44. Bremerton, WA
45. Albuquerque, NM
46. Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, PA
47. Evansville-Henderson, IN-KY
48. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
49. Punta Gorda, FL
50. Columbia, SC

 

[Jaded Gem]

Yep, I could vouch for the following places:

4. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, CA

37. Madison, WI

46. Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, PA

I'm surprised none of the really big metropolitan cities made it to that list.

 

[sumi]

Yep, I second the Santa Barabara vote! It's a lovely place to live. If anyone is looking for a nice vacation spot in CA, then I highly recommend it. The air is so fresh and clean you can almost taste it! (Well, I live in the Los Angeles area so that's a biggie for me)

 

[pqcollectibles]

No Kansas City??!!

Why am I NOT surprised??!!

 

[Nicrez]

I am frankly shocked why Charlottlesville VA is #1, over Santa Barbara. Sorry, but New york also SHOULD NOT be that low on the list when thousands flock there to live, work and visit.

I would venture to say the number of people that visit NYC is GREATER than the number of people that actually live in Charlottesville.

So what gives? I think the guy who wrtoe this lives there.

 

[CaptAubrey]

these rankings are typically based on a compilation of factors, using weightings that don't always make a lot of sense, at least to me. so sometimes they produce some weird results.




the santa barbara area is nice unless you're planning to buy a house.

 

[sumi]

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On 4/2/2004 2:06:04 PM CaptAubrey wrote:



the santa barbara area is nice unless you're planning to buy a house.
----------------

Ha! You can say THAT again! But to be fair, although the housing prices are pretty high (as they are in all of Southern CA) there are some really nice estates in SB that are very luxurious.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

----------------
On 4/2/2004 2:06:04 PM CaptAubrey wrote:


these rankings are typically based on a compilation of factors, using weightings that don't always make a lot of sense, at least to me. so sometimes they produce some weird results.


the santa barbara area is nice unless you're planning to buy a house.
----------------

What exactly are the factors they use? I was surprised by the cities listed for Washington State as they're not exactly the most glamourous locations

lol

Michelle

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 4/2/2004 1:10:23 PM Nicrez wrote:

I am frankly shocked why Charlottlesville VA is #1, over Santa Barbara.

the number of people that actually live in Charlottesville.

So what gives? I think the guy who wrtoe this lives there.

----------------

I'm not. C'ville is truley unique in many ways. A very sophisticated, intellectual town w/ a small town feel.

Rich in history & tradition. Incredible vistas & rolling hills. If one wants to drive a few miles outside of C'ville, one can get an affordable Estate in the country.

And, I think Asheville, NC certainly deserves to be on that list. We have talked about retiring there.

Give me the east coast anytime!

 

[winyan]

Actually, I *like* the area I live in; the NW corner of NJ.

Sussex County (where I would love to live again) is very like Sussex, England, full of rolling hills, cows and sheep. Unfortunately the infrastructure doesn't allow for ease of commute.

I have to admit a great love for the land that is America.

It, to me, has everything.

win

P.S. Where ever I live it has to have 4 seasons. I can't imagine one endless summer.

 

[fire&ice]

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On 4/13/2004 10:02:50 PM winyan wrote:

Actually, I *like* the area I live in; the NW corner of NJ.

Sussex County (where I would love to live again) is very like Sussex, England, full of rolling hills, cows and sheep. Unfortunately the infrastructure doesn't allow for ease of commute.

I have to admit a great love for the land that is America.

It, to me, has everything.

win

P.S. Where ever I live it has to have 4 seasons. I can't imagine one endless summer.

----------------

Win, when people think of "Jersey" they don't think of the area where you live. It truly is a *beautiful* under-rated part of the country. I like the NY state side as well.

I'm partial to this country also. I have heard from numerous out of country visitors that we have it all from coast to coast.

 

[Nicrez]

F&I, you are so right. They may more likely imagine the town I live near, across the Hudson. Where the hair is big, the I-Rocs roll and the Ws are added to every short A sound!

My town actually is a little cosmopoitan suburb of New York City. It's got the easiest infrastructure for commuting, and my door to door travel to work is less than 30 minutes. When i lived in NYC it was 40! Only thing is, it's like paying NYC prices to rent or own out here, because it ISN'T NYC, but so much cleaner and prettier, but SO close...

NJ has some really lovely areas up North, and some lovely beach side resort towns, and of course Cape May!

 

[sumi]

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On 4/13/2004 10:02:50 PM winyan wrote:


P.S. Where ever I live it has to have 4 seasons. I can't imagine one endless summer.

----------------

I live in Los Angeles, and it's basically an endless spring with a few months of summer. I did get to experience the four seasons for a few years when I lived in Japan. It was really amazing to see the distinct four seasons. Of course, we do get a little colder during the winter here in LA, but it was so dramatic in Tokyo. I actually got to see the leaves turning different colors and the trees lose their leaves, I saw snow falling for the first time, then all the little sprouts and new blossoms (and the AMAZING cherry blossoms, it's like the whole country is under a blanket of cherry blossoms, I recommend it to anyone who has the chance to see it), and the heat of summer. It actually made the years go by faster because the seasons didn't blend in to each other.

Although, I loved the experience for a few years, I don't know how long I could handle it. I'm so used to seeing the beautiful sun everyday that I noticed I got a little depressed during the winter when it would be dreary for days and weeks. Plus, the summer was so oppressive with the humidity! I can not handle humidity. Near the LA beaches, even the summer is mild and there isn't much humidity.

 

[chris-uk04]

The list probably includes "factors" like cost of living, that's why NYC is so far down. However, there are some serious problems with this list. I'm sure they punched in data into a computer and it spit out the list, but did a living human review in for the WTF factor?

7. Atlanta is a Delta hub and a poor choice for an Olympic Games. Why not have Houston?
13. Raliegh-Durham is not that nice of a city. Charlette is much nicer
14. College Station, TX is a horrible town to live it and the list's worst pick. It shouldn't even make the list. The only thing in College Station is Texas A&M, which has Aggies who are the epitome of everything that everyone hates about Texans. It has no character. It is strip malls and apartment complexes. How is Austin ranked below it?
23. Lafayette- I actually like Lafayette, home to Perdue university and Harry's Chocolate Shop. But if you mention every quaint/party college town, some equals will be left off the list... i.e., Lincoln, NE.
26. Washington, DC- okay the President and Congress lives here but the crime and the cost of living are both through the roof. No way should it rank above NYC not to mention Beantown, which didn't even make the list.
32. Abilene, TX is now getting ridiculous. Abiliene is 200 miles from anywhere. It's a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Think Varsity Blues.
45. Alberqerque is quite a nice city and has character.

 

[fire&ice]

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On 4/19/2004 6:48:53 AM chris-uk04 wrote:

13. Raliegh-Durham is not that nice of a city. Charlette is much nicer
-

The cost of living in Charlotte is higher. Also, I don't know if this enters into the mix; but, that city is sooooooooo poorly planned & laid out. They have streets that end, pick up elsewhere, end, crooks in the road, ends up elsewhere. Raleigh is a nice place to live.

 

[wallace]

DC should be stricken from the list. Somebody obviously bribed someone jus tot get it on there. That's what they do best down here!

Unless they mean the DC-Metro area which basically means Virginia and Maryland (excluding DC mostly by virtue of comparative population levels and development per square mile). But, since that would essentially mean VA and MD - DC should be stricken from the record. Besides, it not really a city. It is the capital with accidental, expensive dwelling places nearby.

Remeber, TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.

And for all you nay-sayers who want to pipe-up "if you don't like it then why do you live there"? Hold thy tongue! When is the last time you could just walk out on your life, job, pick up and move overnight? I thought so - Many people have challenged the veracity of that list and I am adding "my 2 cents" accordingly.

 

[sevens one]

My son is looking at a school in Charlottesville, Va. I'll have to let him know.