July 14, 2008 09:00 AM Eastern Time 

MONEY Magazine Announces “America’s Best Places to Live” 2008

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MONEY magazine announced today that Plymouth, Minnesota, wins the No. 1 spot on this year’s list of America’s Best Places to Live, its annual ranking of America’s most livable towns. Plymouth was followed by (2) Fort Collins, CO, (3) Naperville, IL, (4) Irvine, CA, (5) Franklin Township, NJ, (6) Norman, OK, (7) Round Rock, TX, (8) Columbia/Ellicott City, MD, (9) Overland Park, KS, and (10) Fishers, IN.

“This year MONEY’s number one Best Place to Live reflects robust Midwestern values in a small city that is 30 minutes from a vibrant metropolis, with a low cost of living, rising incomes, and job growth,” said MONEY managing editor, Eric Schurenberg. “It’s simply a great place to raise a family, join a community, and build a rich life.”

Profiles of the top 10 and a full list of the top 100 are available online now at: www.CNNMoney.com/bestplaces and will appear in the August issue of MONEY, on newsstands July 21.

Online, Best Places goes deeper, with full profiles of the top 100 small cities; a video tour of the top 3 places; detailed stats on real estate, schools, income, weather, crime, quality of life, and more on 1,800-plus towns in the Best Places database; a screening tool to find your best place to live; and slideshows revealing the top 25 places to ride out a gas crunch, as well as those with the most singles, the most affordable homes, highest incomes, and additional information to understand the rankings. Users can also check out maps highlighting homes for sale, top employers, museums, colleges, and other points of interest in 1,800-plus towns, compare their favorite city against the magazine’s 10 winners, and sound off about the picks and their favorite places on the Best Places Talkback blog.

Using statistics from data provider OnBoard and consultant Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net, MONEY crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America’s best small cities for families which exhibit the bedrock requirements of good jobs, a healthy local economy, and a sane real-estate market. Here’s how: Start with all U.S. cities that have populations of 50,000 to 300,000. Exclude retirement communities, places where income is less than 85% or more than 201% of the state median, and those that are more than 95% white. Screen out cities with high crime, big population declines, significant unemployment or job shrinkage, and long commutes. Rank remaining places based on job growth, income increases, cost of living, housing affordability, school quality, arts and leisure options, ease of daily life, safety, medical care, and diversity. Factor in more data on the economy, jobs, housing prices, schools and taxes. Then visit and interview residents, assessing intangibles like vibrancy and sense of community.

About MONEY

MONEY magazine is the nation's largest personal finance magazine. With nearly 2 million subscribers and newsstand buyers and 7.9 million total readers, it remains twice as large as its nearest competitors. MONEY’s accessible and user-friendly articles are aimed at anyone who is responsible for making money decisions in his or her household—from seasoned investors to those who are just starting their financial lives. The magazine’s mission is to help readers make better decisions, not just in their investment portfolio, but in all areas in which life and money intersect — family, home, health, finances, career, spending and future. MONEY, along with FORTUNE, FSB: FORTUNE Small Business, and the website CNNMoney.com, is part of The Fortune|Money Group. Time Inc. is a division of Time Warner, a leading media and entertainment company.