Title Details

Bert Sperling has been choosing our country’s Best Places for 20 years. He created Money magazine’s original “Best Places to Live” list, and his work continues to appear in the media on a monthly basis. His studies have become part of our national culture, appearing in The Simpsons, Jay Leno jokes, and questions on Jeopardy. His website, Sperling’s BestPlaces (www.bestplaces.net), has become a popular Internet resource, and provides content to other sites such as Yahoo!, MSN, eBay, and the Wall Street Journal.
Annually, his “Healthiest Cities for Women” study is featured in SELF magazine. Other recent projects include “Best Places to Retire” (MSN),“Best Cities for Women” (Ladies’ Home Journal),“Great College Towns” (Newsweek),“This Town Rocks! Best Cities for Teens” (Seventeen),“Best Places to Buy a Second Home” (Smart Money),“Best Places to Raise an Outdoor Family” (Outdoor Explorer),“Hot Dating in Small Towns (MTV), “America’s Best City to Live” and “Most Energetic City” (USA Weekend) and features in Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Men’s Fitness, and Kiplinger’s.
Bert currently makes his home in Portland and Depoe Bay, Oregon, after living in Kodiak (Alaska), Carmel Valley (California), Key West (Florida), San Diego (California), Brooklyn, Hempstead, and East Meadow (New York), Norfolk (Virginia), and Oslo, Norway.

Peter Sander is a professional author, researcher, and consultant in the fields of business and personal finance. He has written eight books including Value Investing For Dummies, The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Living on a Budget, Everything Personal Finance, and Niche and Grow Rich. His educational background includes an MBA in Logistics Management from Indiana University and a BA in Urban Affairs and Administration from Miami University of Ohio, and professional training and examination as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP™). His career includes 20 years as a marketing and logistics specialist for a major high-tech firm. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and now living in Granite Bay, California, he has traveled in all 50 U.S. states.

About the Authors.

Introduction.

PART I: FINDING YOUR BEST PLACE TO LIVE.

Chapter 1: The Places.

Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).

Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs).

What’s Included in Cities Ranked & Rated?

Chapter 2: The Rankings.

About the Cities Ranked & Rated Model.

Reading the Ranking Report.

Chapter 3: The Categories.

Reading the Data.

Use of Data for Ranking & Scoring.

Population.

Economy & Jobs.

Cost of Living.

Climate.

Education.

Health & Healthcare.

Crime.

Transportation.

Leisure.

Arts & Culture.

Quality of Life.

Chapter 4: The States.

How Cities Ranked & Rated Compares States.

Overall Rankings.

Population.

Physical Environment.

Economy.

Table 0.1: U.S. States & Postal Codes.

Table 0.2: U.S. Population Mobility, 1990-2001.

Table 0.3: Reasons for Moving, 2000-2001.

Table 1.1: Principal U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

Table 1.2: Canada Census Metropolitan Areas.

Table 1.3: Emerging U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

Table 2.1: The Top 30 U.S. Metropolitan Areas.

Table 2.2: The Bottom 30 U.S. Metropolitan Areas.

Table 2.3: Ranking Report Sample.

Table 2.4: U.S. Metropolitan Areas by Rank.

Table 2.5: U.S. Metropolitan Areas by Alphabetical Sequence with Rank.

Table 3.1: Net Gain or Loss in Population by Region.

Table 3.2: Sample Population Data from Charlottesville, Virginia.

Table 3.3: Most Sprawl-Threatened Cities.

Table 3.4: Largest & Smallest Metropolitan Areas.

Table 3.5: Fastest Growing Metropolitan Areas.

Table 3.6: Declining & Slowest Growing Metropolitan Areas.

Table 3.7: Population Density.

Table 3.8: Diversity Measure.

Table 3.9: Sample Economy & Jobs Data from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Table 3.10: Household Income.

Table 3.11: Household Income Growth.

Taxation.

Education.

Politics.

Safety & Safety Consciousness.

PART II: EVALUATING THE CITIES.

Chapter 5: Principal U.S. Metropolitan Areas.

City Profiles.

City Descriptions & Data.

Chapter 6: Canada Metropolitan Areas.

Ranking & Rating Canadian Cities.

Data Sources.

City Descriptions & Data.

Chapter 7: Emerging U.S. Metropolitan Areas.

Ranking & Rating Emerging Cities.

City Descriptions & Data.

APPENDIX: CATEGORY RANKINGS OF PRINCIPAL U.S. METROPOLITAN AREAS.

INDEX.