Everyone knows that your house is one of, if not the most, priciest purchase of your life. When factoring in all the pros and cons that play into a potential homebuyer's schematic the list goes on and on with crime rates, education systems, etc, and they vary from state, city and suburb. Do you want coastal, wetland, humidity, aridity and desert landscaping, forests, winters, four seasons? In fact, the home buying process can be just down right inundating and overwhelming: not to mention it can rack up some serious stress.
Good News! According to CNNMoney.com and Money Magazine the poll for 2006's top 10 places to live is out. In the top ten there are some very interesting finds, as most are suburb towns located just on the outskirts (and thus, just miles away from the benefits) of major cities. The main benefit to the suburban areas of course, is generally significantly lower real-estate, pending the state and city of course, and lower population (and most often crime rates). So, if you're thinking about relocating, or if you're getting ready to purchase your first home, Flirting.com would like to help assist you with some important factoids concerning America's top 5 best cities for the year 2006.
1. Fort Collins, CO
2. Naperville, IL
3. Sugarland, TX
4. Columbia, Ellicott City, MD
5. Cary, NC
Below is a slightly modified version of CNNMoney.com's statistics for the top five places to live in America. For full stats and facts visit CNNMoney.com.
#1) FORT COLLINS, CO
Population: 128,000
FINANCIAL
Median Family Income: $64,623
Family Purchasing Power: $59,781
Sales Tax: 6.7%
State Income Tax:
HIGH 4.63%
LOW: 4.63%
Auto Insurance Premiums: $2,194
Job Growth: 6.13%
HOUSING
Median Home Price: $212,000
Home Price Gain: 2.70%
QUALITY of LIFE
Median Age 28.8
Married 43.6%
Divorced 9.3%
Crime Risk (100 is natl avg) 77
(Lower is better)
Median Commute Time 15.0
%Pop. Commute = 45min+: 7.6%
WEATHER
High (July, Fahrenheit) 85.5
Low (Jan, Fahrenheit) 15.3
2) NAPERVILLE, IL
Pop: 141,600
FINANCIAL
Median Family Income: $112,258
Sales Tax: 6.75%
State Income Tax:
HIGH 3.0%
LOW: 3.0%
Job Growth: 12.14%
HOUSING
Median Home Price: $329,000
Home Price Gain: 11.5%
EDUCATION
Colleges, Universities, 10
%Students Attending 94.5
QUALITY of LIFE
Median Age 34.3
Married 65.8%
Divorced 6.0%
Crime Risk (100 is natl avg) 14
(Lower is better)
Median Commute Time 15.0
%Pop. Commute = 45min+: 7.6%
WEATHER
High (July, Fahrenheit) 86.8
Low (Jan, Fahrenheit) 14.2
3) SUGARLAND, TX
Pop: 75,800
FINANCIAL
Median Family Income: $101,168
Sales Tax: 8.25%
State Income Tax:
HIGH: NA
LOW: NA
Job Growth: 30.53%
HOUSING
Median Home Price: $214,330
Home Price Gain: 9.5%
EDUCATION
Colleges, Universities, 6
%Students Attending 86.0
QUALITY of LIFE
Median Age 34.3
Married 65.8%
Divorced 6.0%
Crime Risk (100 is natnl avg) 23
(Lower is better)
Median Commute Time 29.5
%Pop. Commute = 45min+: 22.0%
WEATHER
High (July, Fahrenheit) 93.7
Low (Jan, Fahrenheit) 41.6
4) COLUBIA/ELLIOT CITY, MD
Pop: 159,200
FINANCIAL
Median Family Income: $96,082
Sales Tax: 5.0%
State Income Tax:
HIGH 4.75%
LOW: 2.0%
Job Growth: 11.58%
HOUSING
Median Home Price: $329,000
Home Price Gain: 21.00%
EDUCATION
Colleges, Universities, 12
%Students Attending 94.6
QUALITY of LIFE
Median Age 36.6
Married 54.2%
Divorced 9.4%
Crime Risk (100 is natl avg) 37
(Lower is better)
Median Commute Time 26.0
%Pop. Commute = 45min+: 24.1%
WEATHER
High (July, Fahrenheit) 87.1
Low (Jan, Fahrenheit) 22.0
5) CARY, NC
Pop: 106,400
FINANCIAL
Median Family Income: $98,360
Sales Tax: 7.0%
State Income Tax:
HIGH 8.25%
LOW: 6.0%
Job Growth: 16.14%
HOUSING
Median Home Price: $256,900
Home Price Gain: 4.8%
EDUCATION
Colleges, Universities, 6
% Students Attending 91.3
QUALITY OF LIFE
Median Age 33.7
Married 60.8%
Divorced 7.3%
Crime Risk (100 is natl avg) 29
(Lower is better)
Median Commute Time 21.1
Pop. Commute = 45min+: 7.3%
WEATHER
High (July, Fahrenheit) 87.9
Low (Jan, Fahrenheit) 30.1
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