CNN Money just released it’s annual list of the top 100 best places to live. Here’s a look at the top 25 and their current population:
1 Eden Prairie, MN 64,000
2 Columbia/Ellicott City, MD 155,000
3 Newton, MA 82,000
4 Bellevue, WA 124,000
5 McKinney, TX 125,000
6 Fort Collins, CO 141,000
7 Overland Park, KS 175,000
8 Fishers, IN 69,000
9 Ames, IA 60,000
10 Rogers, AR 57,000
11 Plymouth, MN 76,000
12 Highlands Ranch, CO 98,000
13 Woodbury, MN 58,000
14 Carmel, IN 67,000
15 Eagan, MN 64,000
16 Allen, TX 84,000
17 Shawnee, KS 61,000
18 South Jordan, UT 51,000
19 Broomfield, CO 55,000
20 Apple Valley, MN 50,000
21 Missouri City, TX 75,000
22 Irvine, CA 208,000
23 Cary, NC 130,000
24 Rowlett, TX 58,000
25 Gaithersburg, MD 59,000
CNN Money says Eden Prairie, Minnesota snagged the top spot because they have a low unemployment rate, great facilities and a good economy. The suburb of Minneapolis is attractive because it has great schools, great parks, and big employers. It’s not a typical suburb full of strip malls and subdivisions. It operates more like a real community with friendly people and family-oriented leadership. But take a look at what the average listing price of a home is in the city’s that snagged the top four spots:
1. Eden Prairie, MN $430,710
2. Columbia-Ellicott City, MD $487,602
3. Newton, MA $989,445
4. Bellevue, WA $801,423
So if you’re looking to move to one of the best places to live, you may want to save up for a little while.