CNN / Money's 2005 "Best Places To Live" List

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

From the list, here are the "10 safest places to live in the U.S."...

1. NY Islip
2. NJ Wayne
3. CT Avon
4. NJ East Brunswick
5. CT Fairfield
6. CT Greenwich
7. NJ Iselin
8. HI Kailua
9. NJ Marlboro
10. HI Mililani

...and the 10 best OVERALL places to live:

1. Moorestown, NJ
2. Bainbridge Isl., WA
3. Naperville, IL
4. Vienna, VA
5. Louisville, CO
6. Barrington, RI
7. Middleton, WI
8. Peachtree City, GA
9. Chatham, NJ
10. Mill Valley, CA

http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/?cnn=yes

[sleipnir]

1. Not be be political, but notice how 18 of the 20 are in Blue States.

Funny thing...I'm just sayin.

If I had a few different circumstances, I really would like to live in Fairfield or Greenwich.

[UrbScotty]

61. Actually, 17/20

But still... Pretty good, huh?

[Richardo]

2. Be interesting to see what the per capita income is in those places

And the cost of living.

Way above the national average would be my guess. WAY above. Like unreachable for most of us.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

4. I saw "Mill Valley, CA" on the list, and...

...while there MAY be "affordable" housing there, I'd like to see it. Mill Valley is where Jerry Garcia used to live, and I'm sure he wasn't "cash strapped" when it came to rent.

Many of the cities on the list, regardless of how they are categorized ("safe," etc). are "great places to live" because when money is no object, you can live in a great place.

[XemaSab]

8. I'm gonna tell it to you straight:

Mill Valley is a great place to live if you have a million bucks to spend on a house. A very small house.

[rocktivity]

3. The person who sits next to me at work is from Chatham

When I read her the part about Chatham's "big drawback" being that "You can't touch a decent home for less than $600,000," she said she lived in an apartment, and that the town is awash in foreclosures! And I seem to remember a song about Mill Valley CA...

:headbang:
rocknation

[Starlight]

73. Chatham is beautiful.

Expensive, yes, but gorgeous. I don't think people who live elsewhere realize that much of NJ is forest. I live in one of Chatham's ajoining suburbs and we have deer feeding in our woodsy backyard every morning. :loveya:

[kikiek]

5. In MN we took all top 10 spots for coldest place to live in Jan . Really

it isn't that cold.

[WeRQ4U]

12. We're just used to it.

I used to think the same thing. I went to UND in Grand Forks North Dakota. But then I moved to Oregon for 3 years or so. When I came back to North Dakota / Minnesota... it was fucking cold. Anything that is below zero is fucking cold and it gets there all the time.

Now, after having been back here now for a year or so, I think Minnesota has fairly decent weather, except for Duluth / International Falls etc. But you will never convince the warm blooded outsiders that Minnesota isn't cold... it's frigid.

[kikiek]

31. Yeah the windchill is what is amazing. Still wishing for outdoor Vikes

stadium.

[no name no slogan]

41. buncha wimps

It's not THAT cold. Who's afraid of a little -20° weather, for a month or two?

And the snow? What, you afraid of shoveling a couple feet out of the driveway before work every day in March?

:D

[WeRQ4U]

44. God I loathe shoveling.

I want outdoor Vikes too. It seems criminal to me that the Vikings are one of the worst outdoor teams in the league. They need to use the cold to their advantage.

[Starlight]

72. It IS really cold there!

I grew up in ND & I lived in MN for many years. The winters are unbearably cold. Anyone who says they aren't is in denial. :scared:

[napi21]

6. Same thing in Peachtree City, Ga.! Big houses and $$$$$$

I sure don't live there, but my son's ex in-laws do. It's really a golf course community, and similar to Sun City Az where the retirees can ride their golf carts to the store, etc.

[tenshi816]

11. It may look nice, but oh Lord how boring a place it is,

and how red the inhabitants. I just gave a little involuntary shudder at the thought of living in Peachtree City. It has no soul.

[napi21]

59. You're right. The family I know from there is definately boring, and

redder than Santa's suit!

[tenshi816]

62. LOL!

A girlfriend of mine got married and moved there several years ago, which is the only reason I know anything at all about it. It's the kind of place where I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb, partly because of my political views (as though I'm somehow wearing a sign that screams "shoot me, I'm a godless hippie liberal") and also because years of living in good ol' tolerant England has brought out my latent eccentricities when it comes to clothing (no, I don't dress like a bag lady, but I do have a certain flair for the bohemian and love to indulge it). I certainly don't look like a golfer or a country club type.

[Missy M]

7. I can finally vent my anger over all the "Best" lists put out by....

various magazines. The best places to live, best schools, best hospitals etc. Every city or institution has good and bad points. It seems the "Best" places to live are usually based on money and that is ridiculous. Most usually feel where they live is the best and we don't need the opinions of magazines or their so called analysts to tell us.

[WeRQ4U]

9. No North Dakota cities on "Safest Places to Live" list?

The study must be flawed somehow. Absolutely jack shit happens in this hole. You could run a bank on the honor system here.

[swag]

10. Bainbridge Island is #2? Granted, it's nice, but so fucking boring.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. Middleton, WI?! WOW! I have friends in Middleton, small city, near Madison

nice place.

I'll have to tell them they livein the 7th best place in America!

[swag]

25. I remember Middleton's "Dog 'n' Suds" drive-in well, from a

certain period of my childhood.

A fine place, but I would have chosen Black Earth instead.

But maybe too many of those bad kids from Mazomanie have invaded Black Earth now.

[m_welby]

14. well thats bull *t

Barrington RI? Hah!!!

Us locals call it "Borrington" because there's nothing but wealthy, boring, yuppies. It's a dry town for cryin out loud!! (No liquor stores), you have to drive accross the town line to buy a 6 pack.

It's the town you move into if you aren't wealthy enough to live in newport, but still need to pretend you're elite.

[MrScorpio]

15. Naperville, Il, ay?

I hate that town. Never felt so uncomfortable as an adult black man in my life.

If you're NOT rich and white in Naperville, you're not from around there.

[grace0418]

18. Thank you! I forgot to add that to my list of reasons why

Naperville makes me want to kill myself. Could it be any more white bread? I don't think being white goes even far enough. I think you need to be blond, blue-eyed, tall and fit. Because I'm white and I didn't feel comfortable either. YUCK!

I never understood why my b-i-l wanted to live there and be the token Asian family.

[Logansquare]

21. Naperville & conformity--I'm white and have dyed red hair

Not a punk red, but definitely a not-natural rockabilly shade. I was visiting a friend in Naperville recently and stopped in a grocery store. Several people there stared at me as if I was a carnival sideshow.

[MrScorpio]

26. Oh yeah, those assholes love to stare, don't they?

I was walking down the street to the Barnes and Noble and I had half a mind to ask them what the fuck were they staring at.

It's like they never saw a six-foot tall black man before.

Wait.... They probably didn't.

[grace0418]

29. Maybe they thought you had dipped yourself in chocolate

and were curious. ;)

Seriously, you were probably considered freaky for *walking* down the street to B & N. Don't you know you're not allowed to walk in the suburbs?

[Logansquare]

57. Oh, they probably haven't n/t

[grace0418]

28. Oh yeah, definitely. I'm not exactly the picture of suburban

conformity either. I'm pretty funky and I married into that token Asian family (GASP!) so I know what you mean about the stares.

[MrScorpio]

24. My niece hates Naperville too, she lives over in Lisle.

She may be half-Arabic and half-Dutch-Indonesian, but she's all-American, she's had a few run ins with the local Naperville fucks too.

I saw what she meant when she warned me.

[grace0418]

30. Wow, she sounds gorgeous!

Does she like Lisle? I haven't been around there much.

[MrScorpio]

39. She likes Lisle and is comfortable there

She made a point to warn her favorite uncle about Naperville

[barb162]

52. Asians are more than 10% of the Naperville population

[grace0418]

56. Maybe, but I never saw any besides my husband's family.

And we definitely got stares when we went out.

[Burma Jones]

34. Sounds like New Canaan, CT

A town where Italians are too dark.......

[grace0418]

38. It's pretty much like a million other suburbs, which is why I don't

understand how it made the list.

[barb162]

71. take a look at the personal and property crime rates; it's

extremely low in Naperville even compared to the other "best" places to live. The Naperville cops even look like nazis. It is a pretty safe place to live. But I would like to see the same stats for the North Shore suburbs because I bet those places also have low crime rates.

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. No Maine? Must be our outrageous cost of living and housing prices in

the areas where we have jobs.. and the lack of jobs in the other areas.

[grace0418]

19. That's pretty much every state these days.

Thanks BushCo! :sarcasm:

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. Yeah.. pretty much.

[Gormy Cuss]

50. Nah, the cities are too small

There is a summary of the 'contenders' who met the first and second set of qualifier and there are no contenders in Maine.

First cut was cities with population over 14,000 AND that were within 60 miles of a major airport and within 30 miles of a major hospital. Without knowing how they defined "major," I'm betting either the airport or hospital cut eliminated every place except Portland. The next tier of qualifications had six measures including income levels, so there you go with a way to throw Portland out too.

It was rigged!

:thumbsdown:

[GreenPartyVoter]

58. Too bad, because Portland is an amazing little "city" with a

museum, ballet, and symphony.

Bangor might have made the first cut too. Their airport is bigger than Portland's, have a major hospital, and are close to the biggest university campus.

[Gormy Cuss]

63. Portland is a deceptively 'big' little city

I visualize the old art museum building in Ptld even though the 'new'addition has been there for years, but then I remember what Free St. looked like before the civic center was built and before the Old Port was gussied up. Ptld has a vibrant theater scene and smaller art galleries too. Do you get down there much?

Seven cities in southern NH made the contenders list. Nothing against the hampsters, but Portland beats the daylights out of the likes of Nashua and Salem. I still say it was rigged!


:D

[GreenPartyVoter]

64. I don't get there at all since I don't drive. Last time I was there was

to take my cheerleaders to the USM Maine Cheer Classic so they could compete. We had zero time to hang out in town. It was March 12th.. almost didn't even go because of the dirty weather the day before.

I have been to the museum, though. And 2 concerts at the Civic ctr. And the ballet. And the symphony when Schoonerfare was playing with them.

However, in my area's self-defense, we have a wicked good music festival of our own: the Full Circle Fair. Jim Hightower and Cindy Sheehan will be speaking, so I really want to go.

[Gormy Cuss]

65. Wow -- Full Circle looks like a good time .

Lots of great music as well as speakers. Nothing like a good summer festival!

[GreenPartyVoter]

66. Come on up here if you can. Well worth the drive. :^) The dates are

Saturday July 23rd (12 PM - 10 PM)
and Sunday July 24th (10 AM - 6 PM), 2005.

[Gormy Cuss]

67. Would, but I'm in exile

I live near SF now (and my current city didn't make the Money list either- I tell you, it's rigged.)
My sister in Augusta might be interested-- I'll pass on the info to her.
Thanks!

[GreenPartyVoter]

68. Cool. Here's the website with directions for sis :^D

http://fair.weru.org/

[grace0418]

17. The fact that Naperville, IL is #3 on the list causes me to question

the results. I'm sorry, Naperville is *okay* but it's nothing great. My brother-in-law lived there for years and I usually wanted to shoot myself in the head after a few hours of being there. There is a nice downtown area with some beautiful old victorian homes. But for the most part it's just like every other suburb. There are tons and tons of cookie cutter houses in cookie cutter subdivisions, you have to get in your car and drive everywhere you want to go, all the stores and restaurants but a few are chains. And it's in ILLINOIS for cliff's sake! I was born and raised here and let me tell you, Illinois is no paradise. It's too cold in the winter, too hot and muggy in the summer, and spring/autumn are way too short. Lake Michigan is the best natural wonder we have going for us, unless you find flat land full of cornfields especially enthralling. I'm sorry, but I don't think anywhere in Illinois should be in the top ten.

Just my $00.02

[Logansquare]

22. Ogden Road--blechhhh

Shall we eat at Chili's, Applebee's, or Boston Market?

[MrScorpio]

27. The Barnes and Noble?

Looks like every other Barnes and Noble

Oh and by the way, don't park in tht bank parking lot unless you have business at the bank

[barb162]

51. self delete

[grace0418]

35. Don't forget Fridays, Bennigans and Cracker Barrel!

Woo-hoo!

[barb162]

49. Hi Grace, I'm with you

Naperville's schools are supposedly good and rate high, but being around those brats you wouldn't know it. I would think a suburb such as Wilmette or Winnetka, also with superb schools, and ON THE LAKE would have made the list before Naperville.

[grace0418]

55. I know, at least there are lots of trees on the north shore too.

In my b-i-l's subdivision there was a one tree per lot and none were more than 15-20 tall. Maybe in 25 years those will look nice but right now it's downright depressing.

[GOPisEvil]

23. 10 most polluted all in Red states. Surprised Houston isn't there.

WTF is with Ohio?

http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/topten/polluted.html

[johnnie]

36. We work hard?

I think the main reason is because our governor is a waste of flesh.

[GOPisEvil]

53. So is ours. And the one before him, too.

I'm shocked no Texas cities are on that list.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

54. 6 out of 10

Places on the list are the Cincinnati Metropolitan area. They won't build light rail their because that would be socialism, you know.

Emphysema is OK, though.

[AlCzervik]

32. i can see why they put Mill Valley on the list-no one can afford to live

$849,000
2 Bed, 1 Bath
1,260 Sq. Ft.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

46. I used to live in a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Clara, 1200 Sq. Ft.

At the WORST of the "dot com" peak, I was paying $1650 per month. The next increase, upon renewal of my lease, was going to be $1850. Then the dot com bubble burst, and my rent went down. When I moved out two years ago I was paying $1200.

I've been in some S-M-A-L-L houses, but I can't imagine how you fit two bedrooms into 1200 square feet.

[AlCzervik]

48. we were looking at moving to silicon valley or the Pacifica area

because my husbands job is now based in Cupertino, after looking at those houses we gave up so during the week he rents a room from a coworker and he comes home on the weekend. The final nail was looking at a house for $800,000 that was 1400 sq ft, needed a wrecking ball to make it so you didn't want to kill yourself when you were in it and it had burglar bars.

[DS1]

33. Aww, Minnesota took the following places for coldest

10th
9th
8th
7th
6th
5th
4th
3rd
2nd
1st

:rofl:

[MrScorpio]

37. Let's see were Williamsburg Va is...

WHAT THE FUCK? It's not even on the list

That place is super, super nice.

Oh. Wait a sec... There are BLACK PEOPLE living in Williamsburg.

Never mind.

[Heidi]

40. Why are they all in the US? (nt)

[MrScorpio]

43. Zeist, The Netherlands got dissed

No where on the list

[Heidi]

45. I'm embarrassed by the assumption in some of this sort of reporting

that the US is the center of the universe.

[Reverend_Smitty]

42. thats a great list especially for any NJ bashers

4 of the top 10 safest places to live (never mind about Camden...lol) and 2 of the top 10 best overall places to live (never mind about Newark...lol). But you don't know how many times I've had to defend my home state to people who claim it is the armpit of New York with nothing but chemical plants...to them I say HA!

[Burma Jones]

47. Jersey Rules

You'll almost never hear me badmouth NJ - Except for not letting me pump my own gas and those annoying Jug Ear Intersections. Oh, and I am not too fond of Elizabeth, NJ.

However, the High Speed EZ Pass toll gates are a beautiful thing, the Pine Barrens are beautiful and Long Beach Island is a good place to spend a week.....

[3lefts]

69. Congratulations to my Moorestown neighbors....

in Jersey they call them Jug Handles!

[Lilith Velkor]

60. NAPERVILLE?!?

:puke:

[barb162]

70. take a look at posts starting arounf 15ff. Personally I don't

get it either when you have places like the North Shore with their great schools, Ravinia, the Lake, etc.