Forbes magazine recently released the annual top ten rankings of best small cities for business and careers. These best cities to live and work were chosen based on a variety of factors such as availability of labor, tax rates and other living costs, quality of life issues, educational opportunities, crime rates and cultural and recreational opportunities.

The rankings of best cities in the U.S. were partly based on data supplied by Economy.com, a Pennsylvania-based economic research firm. The firm’s business cost index factors in the costs of labor, taxes, energy and office space. Cost of living was considered by various aspects such as housing, utilities, transportation, and food and household expenditures. The firm also provided five-year annualized figures on job and income growth and migration trends.

Another research firm that contributed towards the rankings is Sperling’s Best Places. Forbes magazine uses the culture and leisure index developed by Researcher Bertrand Sperling of Sperling’s ‘Best Places to Live’ fame for quality-of-life issues such as cultural and recreational opportunities. The culture and leisure index is based on museums, theaters, golf course, sports teams and other activities. The data also includes the education scenario in the cities and the presence of four-year colleges. Crime rates of the cities were sourced from the FBI Index of Crime.

The following are the top ten best small metro cities to live and work and their approximate populations:

1. Sioux Falls, S.D.: Sioux Falls captured the top spot of smaller cities that are best for business and careers. The metro area consists of 210,000 residents.

2. Bismarck, N.D.: Bismarck ranked second in the list and has a population of 100,000.

3. Columbia, Mo.: Columbia with a population of 154,000 clinched the third place.

4. Fargo, N.D.: At fourth place was Fargo, North Dakota with approximately 186,000 residents.

5. Iowa City, Iowa: Fifth on the list of best small cities to live and work was Iowa City with a total population of 139,000.

6. Bloomington, Ind.: Bloomington was sixth on the annual list of the best smaller metro areas for business and careers and has a population of 139,000.

7. Rapid City, S.D.: South Dakota’s Rapid City was number seven on the list. The metro area has a population of 119,000 residents.

8. Las Cruces, N.M.: Las Cruces, New Mexico ranked eighth with a population of 193,000.

9. Morgantown, W.Va.: At ninth spot was Morgantown, West Virginia with a population of 115,000 residents.

10. Johnson City, Tenn.: Rounding up the top ten smaller metros was Johnson City, Tennessee. The metro area has about 190,000 residents.

Question by Rose: What are the best cities/areas of NC to live and raise a family?
What areas are best in terms of job opportunities, safety, friendly people, culture and affordable housing? What towns surrounding major cities are best to live?
I will have a BS in Accounting soon and my fiance is a plumber/pipe fitter and welder. Where are the best areas for us to live?

Best answer:

Answer by ernesthinton
Henderson, NC
Warrenton, NC
Oxford, NC
Franklinton, NC
Stem, NC
Middleburg, NC
Roxboro, NC

Bahama, NC
Cary, NC
Apex

Cost of living cheap, contact Susan Waters in Henderson, NC.. She has an accounting firm there. David Waters is her husband, he is the District attorney in Oxford

I am in Seattle

HENDERSON, HENDERSON, HENDERSON, NC

Give your answer to this question below!

I`m from Brazil, and I would like to study English in Canada next year.
Could you send me e-mails saying about cities and canadian culture?
You can add me on Yahoo Messenger too!

I`ll very happy!

University of Toronto is Canada’s most important research institution and has gained an international reputation for its research. It enrols more students, employs more faculty, and offers a greater range of courses than any other Canadian university.

We are probably moving to Colorado because my husband received a job offer to work in Denver.

In the Denver area, Aurora is a good place to live. My brother-in-law lives there.

My finace and I are planning on moving to the Atlanta area within the next year or two. We have 2 very young children and we are an inter-racial couple and want to feel safe and fit it. Any recommendations?

hmm….i’m going to copy an answer i gave someone else…

first off, there’s commute to consider. Atlanta has the worst commute in all the cities I’ve been in.

downtown isn’t really a good place to live. that’s probably the most "unsafe" place to live. the suburbs in Fulton County are really affluent and somewhere you could look into.

living "Inside the Perimeter" (area within our 3 major highways), is worth its costs. we have a MARTA system which is like the BART in Northern California or the New York City Subway. make sure you’re very accessible to the exits by the MARTA stations placed along the highway.

cities to look into (mostly in Fulton County):
Alpharetta
College Park
Duluth
Johns Creek
Milton
Roswell
Sandy Springs

for an even lower cost of living, look into places in Forsyth or Gwinnett county, which are just as safe.

as for schools, any county in Metro Atlanta has top rated schools except Clayton County, which recently lost accreditation.

I have a family of five and want to find good neighborhoods, good schools, friendly people.

i live in douglasville, ga. it is located right off of 1-20 and about 30 minutes from downtown atlanta. it still has that small town feel but the population and things to do here are quickly growing. the schools here are very nice, not too over populated. the people here are also very friendly and the neighborhoods are fairly quiet depending on how far away from downtown douglasville you want to live.

i want to live in a place where i don’t have to drive and can still get to the places i need to comfortably.

The Best Walking Cities of 2007
http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/the-best-walking-cities-of-2007/6cd08169c1903110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/fitness/walking/walking.goals/walking.and.your.health/

Cities with Best Public Transportation
http://www.city-data.com/forum/general-u-s/106185-city-has-best-public-transportation.html
http://www.apta.com/media/releases/061011_apta_honors.cfm

My parents and little sisters, as well as me and my husband will be moving to the Nashville area within the next year. I am curious as to which cities are the best to live in outside the nashville area, so i can begin looking at real estate.
My sisters will be in highschool soon, and i hope to have children in the near future so good schools, is a must! (I’v heard williamson county has the best schools). But i would also like to consider cities around Percy Priest Lake beacuse we love the water.

The following cities are ones that we have considered so far: Spring Hill, Fairview, Mt. Juliet, Ashland City…. although to be honest we dont know much about any of these areas. If anyone can give me advice or suggestions on the best cities i would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

(We currently live in the Memphis Tn area)

I live in Hendersonville and love it here. We’re only a few blocks from the lake which we drive by every day to get home. The schools in Sumner county are 2nd to Williamson county, which is still really good. My grandson has gone from K-5 and just started middle school here and we’ve been very happy with the school system here. Also, there are lots of new shopping areas and restaurants here- it’s a growing area. It’s also not too bad a commute to Nashville which is about 25 miles away. I’ve been doing it every day for 6 years! Anyway, I know all the areas you have mentioned and I vote for Hendersonville!

I am moving to RI in the . which cities are the best to live or start a family?
I mean affordable cities…
is providence ok?

If you want to be close to amenities (highway access, shopping, etc.) I would choose either Cranston or Warwick. Both cities are close to providence and have easy highway access. Lots of families are here as well. I think you can find a place (apt or home) in either cranston or warwick for the same price as somewhere in providence (not a great place to raise a family, congested schools and crowded neighborhoods). There are more nice neighborhoods in these cities compared to providence; which in my opinion only has 2 or 3 good neighborhoods. I hope this helps!

I have decided to move somewhere in France, where are the best cities to live in besides Paris.
And No!!! I’ve been to both Ohio and NYC!!!! New York city was ok, but personally i like a more peaceful place to live, thats why I chose France!

try Nice
(if you like girls on the beaches)