Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live" 2006

[swag]

I wouldn't live there if you paid me.

[WCGreen]

1. Beaverton.....

My kind of town....

[Radio_Lady]

85. I'm already there, WCGreen. We're having a beautiful day here.

Tomorrow it will be 100 degrees, but I'll be in a cool radio studio.

Have you ever been to the Portland area to visit?

My husband wants to consider Boise, Idaho, which is on the list somewhere.

One of the publicity agents for films opening here said she lived there for two years, and might go back, but it is a BIG Republican stronghold, very flat, very dry.

It would split the difference in distance from my daughter in Beaverton, Oregon, and my son, who lives in Layton, Utah.


Have a good day!

Radio_Lady in Oregon

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

2. Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ? #17? What bullshit.

That's by me. It has to be the least attractive portion of Morris County to live in. It's basically just a strip mall with a bunch of apartment complexes and now some McMansions directly on the side of Interstate 80 and 280. The only advantage is the vegan Chinese restaurant, the Asian supermarket and the plethora of Indian restaurants. That's not enough to want to live in that boring eyesore.

[vi5]

10. Hahaha....I agree...

I live 1 town over. I do a lot of shopping in Parsippany and there's some nice restaurants as you mentioned. But as for actually living there. It's not bad but surely not top 20.

And I"m assuming you mean Veggie Heaven which is phenomenal. Do you ever eat at Chand Palace, the veggie Indian place?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

17. I eat at Veggie Heaven and Chand Palace.

Both are good.

[Katina]

15. agreed

and it looks like they used a population of 50K as a cut off. There are a lot nicer cities in NJ that Par/Troy Hills.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

16. Madison is really nice.

I enjoyed living in Madison. I still spend more time in Madison than I do in Rockaway.

[Katina]

20. I almost bought a house there

they have great restaurants as well and the school district is excellent.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

24. I used to practically live in Poor Herbies.

Not only is the food good, but the bar is like Cheers.

[Katina]

26. Shanghai Jazz for a great dinner

and Main St Cafe for casual. Used to take my kids to Romanelli's after meets at the YMCA.

where is poor herbies? I don't know that one at all.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

27. It's on Waverly (the street with the Big Clock/little park at the end).

Waverly is right off of Main Street, just make a right towards the train station. They're known for their steaks. The owners are Republican, but really nice. Actually, with the exception of one bartender who randomly hates me, all of the staff is really nice. Also, for better pizza (brick oven) than Romanelli's try the Firehouse. It's on Waverly also, if Main Street Cafe is on your left, make a left onto it. They also have a dining room there for a more formal meal.

I'm also a fan of Shanghai Jazz and I'm friends with the bartenders there, so I get pretty hooked up on drinks. :) Their Crab dumplings are awesome BTW. Down in the Staples shopping center, Yama Sushi and the Indian restaurant are also good.

[ThomCat]

48. I used to work for a company with headquarters there.

I had to go out to Pasippany once a week. What a friggin wasteland. You couldn't pay me to live out there. You need a car to get to the bathroom.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

49. ROFL!

Well, you need a car to get anywhere by me, but at least it's a scenic wasteland with wildlife and shit.

[NJ Democrats]

54. I wouldn't live in Parsippany!

Your right. of everything in morris they pick Parsippany?

[6000eliot]

98. Isn't that 287?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

100. It actually depends on where you are.

Parsippany manages to be surrounded by 80, 280, and 287. I worked for someone who lived in a McMansion that butted up against 280. Gorgeous house. It's just that the backyard view was 280.

[Reverend_Smitty]

3. Sugarland Tx...home of the bugman...

no thanks! :puke:

[pitohui]

4. goo goo ga ga ga ...indeed! (i think money is f***ing w. us)

I see the shapes,
I remember from maps.
I see the shoreline.
I see the whitecaps.
A baseball diamond, nice weather down there.
I see the school and the houses where the kids are.
Places to park by the factries and buildings.
Restaunts and bar for later in the evening.
Then we come to the farmlands, and the undeveloped areas.
And I have learned how these things work together.
I see the parkway that passes through them all.
And I have learned how to look at these things and I say,

(chorus)

I wouldnt live there if you paid me.
I couldnt live like that, no siree!
I couldnt do the things the way those people do.
I couldnt live there if you paid me to.

I guess its healthy, I guess the air is clean.
I guess those people have fun with their neighbors and friends.
Look at that kitchen and all of that food.
Look at them eat it guess it tastes real good.

They grow it in the farmlands
And they take it to the stores
They put it in the car trunk
And they bring it back home
And I say ...

(chorus)

I say, I wouldnt live there if you paid me.
I couldnt live like that, no siree!
I couldnt do the things the way those people do.
I wouldnt live there if you paid me to.

Im tired of looking out the windows of the airplane
Im tired of travelling, I want to be somewhere.
Its not even worth talking
About those people down there.

Goo goo ga ga ga
Goo goo ga ga ga

--the big country by talking heads

[swag]

21. Thanks for the lyrics.

I had forgotten most of them.

I'll have to dig that LP out of the stack tonight.

[Digit]

5. I am a Realtor in Cary, NC which is number 5

Town of Cary website:
http://www.townofcary.org

Cary, NC
Top 100 rank: 5
Population: 110,178

It is beautiful here, and the weather is very pleasant.


If you want to know the pros AND cons, pm me. :hi: :hi: :hi:

[pitohui]

6. i wish you the best

but i am prob. not moving into the containment area for relocated yankees just yet, katrina or no katrina

:-)

(but don't be peeved off i'm giving you a bump for those who ARe interested)

[Digit]

7. Concentrated Area for Relocated Yankees = Cary

We only had to deal with Hurricane Fran back in 1996, which was my very first hurricane.
Since we our just outside of Raleigh, we really don't get many hurricanes. You couldn't pay me to live in a coastal area!

We did not lose electricity, or suffer much damage. Just a small leak in the kitchen ceiling from the rain coming through the attic vent sideways, and a tree limb denting a gutter.

I still miss Northern Va myself....this is alittle "small town" for my tastes, but I do feel absolutely safe living here.

Thanks for the bump... ;)

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

8. Having lived in the Raleigh/Durham/Cary area

for 15 years, I am SO glad I'm out. For many many reasons, but mostly for the small-town attitude that still permeates through the area and the 'nouveau riche' folk who live in their $500K houses, making it hard for common folk in the area of NC to buy a decent affordable house.

[JVS]

9. Fuck them, I'm moving to Flint!

[progmom]

11. yay Ann Arbor!

#25! :bounce:

[swag]

12. I keep meaning to tell you that I met the proprietess of

Everyday Wines in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago.

She had come to visit Everyday Wine in Portland.

A nice woman.

[progmom]

34. really? i know her well! we used to work together!

Mary Campbell, right? She's great. :bounce:

[swag]

35. Wow, how funny and cool that you know her.

Yeah, that's her.

I was the guy sitting at the end of the wine bar with throwing snacks to the dog, in case she wants to remember and can't.

Thought she was pretty nice, the few seconds I chatted with her. I hope her business is doing well.

I should have asked her if she knew you, damn it.

[progmom]

73. next time i see her, i will

:hi: glad the dog got some treats! :)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

13. Portland, ME is number 89.

I actually live in one of the (as it seems like) millions of towns outside P-Town, but nearly all So. Mainers have pride in our "city."

:woohoo:

[jonnyblitz]

28. I love Portland, ME

I need to get back up there and see friends I haven't seen in awhile. I have had some memorable times there....

[WritingIsMyReligion]

32. Portland is a really great place.

:hi:

[MountainLaurel]

31. I may have to chat with you

Depending on how an interview in Portland is going this very minute, we may be moving up there from DC in the next two months.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

33. Woo!

Portland is a beautiful little city, and all the suburbs around it are very conveniently located.

Warning: Don't let anyone tell you how "cheap" places are around here. You have to live way the hell out there to get "cheap" house prices.

[MountainLaurel]

65. Thanks for the warning

Cheap is a fairly relative term for us, living in DC. Being able to be in more than a condo for less than $300K seems cheap.

And it looks like the interview went well. As long as his references check out OK, the place Mr. Laurel interviewed with is going to offer him the position (at more money than he is now making in Washington).

:woohoo:

[mainegreen]

62. I'm actually suprised we were not higher.

:shrug:

[eyesroll]

14. Waukesha is 36?

I lived in Waukesha for 5 years.
I now live in Milwaukee, which is not in the "best" anything.

I like Milwaukee better.

Why are they listing median home prices but not, say, the proportion of the housing that's affordable to someone making the median income? Why are expensive golf courses but not free city parks considered in the ratings?

[smitty]

29. Could be worse, you could live in Brookfield.

Housing prices are lower in Milwaukee (except for the East side) but the real estate taxes in Milwaukee are sky-high and the public school system is miserable.

[ScreamingMeemie]

30. Having been to both, it sure as heck beats Ann Arbor, MI which placed

above it. MrG lived for a short time (Thank God) in U of M town, and I still have relatives in Waukesha... I 'd take Waukesha any day...It's closer to urban cultural areas (Milwaukee) than Ann Arbor (Detroit) is. :hi: And I see Sterling Heights, MI in there too which is a totally crappy, overpriced place to live. The only spots that aren't the armpit of the country here in Michigan are the Northern Lower Penninsula and the UP---which is really just WI anyway. ;)

[Susang]

41. Wow, you really hate Michigan that much?

I love Detroit, but I was born and raised in the city. I don't think of it as the armpit of the country; I've traveled through most of the continental US by car and have seen far worse cities than my home town. Ever been to Gary, Indiana? ;-)

[ScreamingMeemie]

43. Yes I have. Everytime I go back home to Milwaukee.

:) I miss my home state. I love Detroit and all of the old architecture and the culture. The Science Center and the DIA are my favorite places. But I don't consider Sterling Hts or Ann Arbor, or Saint Clair Shores and the Pointes to be Detroit. We've lived in 5 different states and I dislike SE MI the most. I love Northern MI and the UP. I would love to end up around Alpena someday. :hi:

[Susang]

47. I do dislike Sterling Heights

My oldest friend moved there when we were 8, so I used to spend the night there a lot. We used to call it "Sterile Whites" }(

[xmas74]

68. I used to live in the UP.

I miss it. It's stunning.

[IndyBob]

92. Love the UP

My boyfriend and I used to head up every fall for the colors. One year was fantastic - the drive along Hwy 2 in the morning sun, the trees all blazing orange and red, was psychedelic. I had to rub my eyes once or twice, it seemed unreal, the colors were so intense.

We rented a cabin in Eagle Harbor, Lake Superior was in our front yard. Spent 4 days, did little of anything. In the morning, go for a ride and hike, saw the Porcupines for the first time, beautiful. Return, spend the afternoon watching the ore boats going back and forth, have a few beers. Grill out a steak, make a salad, open a bottle of red wine for dinner. It got cool in the evenings, the cabin had a wood fireplace. Snuggle until bedtime, or go back out to the porch with a blanket, listen to the waves coming in, and the critters.

I've got other nice memories of the UP as well. My pop and I hiked the Pictured Rocks one year, '85 or '86. Very nice as well.

One month ago, I moved from Wisconsin to Indiana. From Indy, I'm not sure where to go for the three/four day weekends. Rural Indiana and locations south are not overly gay friendly. On the bright side, at least my boyfriend will be coming along, he has joined me in the move. Life goes on.

[Duncan Grant]

99. Welcome to DU, IndyBob.

Hope you and your boyfriend find lots of happiness in your new home! :hi:

[IndyBob]

103. Thanks for the nice welcome. Long time lurker here.

[shrike]

107. Hi IndyBob. It's true Indiana is not too gay friendly

But it's not the hell-hole that a lot of people try to make it out to be.
I'm a transplant myself (moved here when I got married) and find it's like any other place: there are good and bad things and life is what you make of it.

You and your partner might enjoy Bloomington: college campus, beautiful countryside. Southern Indiana is quite beautiful in my estimation: got quite a few stone-hillbillies, if you excuse the expression, but a lot of them are not so bad. Indianapolis has quite a lot to do and Ohio might surprise you: a lot of great state parks, if you're into scenery.

I'm in northern Indiana, which means that our lives here revolve around Chicago, and the Lake Michigan shoreline, although that's becoming more and more the exclusive property of the rich, unfortunately.

[Beware the Beast Man]

44. Yeah, Michigan has a souring effect on people, doesn't it?

:hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

56. All I know is how I feel about it and see it as a real estate appraiser.

I miss my home state and its laid back appeal very much. :hi: I've been here 24 years and I still can't get used to it. :(

Plus now with everyone I know losing their automotive industry jobs or worried about losing them, it's sad.

[Beware the Beast Man]

57. Yeah, Ohio sucks, too.

But I'm sure you've been fed that talking point already. :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

59. I don't get it.

Am I missing something here?

[idgiehkt]

18. crap, NC is on there

why doesn't someone pay them off to keep us off the list? It's too crowded already.

[supernova]

23. Ha. S'alright, it's Cary, afterall

:P We'll keep the really good places to ourselves. :P ;-)

[NC_Nurse]

51. No shit.

Cary sucks! McMansions wall to wall. Blah! How friggin' boring.
The rest of the Triangle is at least SOMEWHAT interesting!

[darkism]

19. Hello from #2 Naperville, IL!

It's BEAUTIFUL here...if you're a 30-something yuppie with a family. So beautiful it deserves #1. The downtown area is thriving, the city keeps investing in improvement, and our mayor is a total nut. (In a good kind of "loveable old man Santa Claus-esque way")

Say what you will, I'm damn glad to have grown up here, even if it is blood red. Now that I'm 22, though, I long for urban diversity and the never-sleep city lifestyle.

[Fenris]

22. Sugarland and Bellevue.

I'd rather drink Drain-o than live in either location.

[Richardo]

36. I heard 'Sugarland' on NPR this morning and threw up in my mouth a little.

That place is horrible.

[Fenris]

38. It's even frightening to drive through!

[Fenris]

25. HA! The hometown that makes me want to die every time I visit it

Made the list at number 73!

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL4872656.html

[Richardo]

37. .

The Woodlands :eyes:

[Fenris]

39. The town too boring to die!

[Misunderestimator]

40. Yay! Ann Arbor made the list. I suppose it's because I live here now!

:D :bounce:

Who knew there were so many damn golf courses near here, wow. But I love the restaurants and the downtown area (that we live within walking distance of) and the jazz club and the musicians that come through here all the time and the feel of being in a city without being in one. It really is a beautiful town.

[Radical Activist]

42. What a bunch of corporate morons think America should look like.

And its scary. I would rather live almost anywhere in Illinois other than Naperville.

[darkism]

52. Never mind the top-ranked schools, beautiful parks...

...essentially null crime rate and all that, just because it has a lot of "rich" people (not really) and tends to vote red, Naperville is worthless.

If I may, where would you prefer to live in this state? Mt. Vernon? Dwight? Sycamore? Rockford?

There are a handful of places I'd rather live in IL than Naperville (Evanston comes to mind), but a HELL of a lot more places I'd rather not.

[speedoo]

53. I would love to live in Chicago.

There are some fantastic neighborhoods in that city, just as there are here in NYC.

I've had more than enough of the suburban lifestyle, which is what I think Naperville epitomizes.

[darkism]

75. I've had enough of the suburban lifestyle, too.

I'm young and ready to live someplace interesting...namely, not the suburbs.

I hope you can understand how I had to chime in and defend my hometown, though. After all, it is still my hometown, no matter how far left I drift and how anticapitalist I become. There certainly are less appealing places to live than Naperville...like Fort Collins, CO, #1 on the Money list! :D

[fishwax]

81. meh, i'd rather live there than in naperville

:)

[Radical Activist]

67. No, I don't want a cul-de-sac

I don't want cookie cutter neighborhoods and shopping malls. I don't want the endless repeat of Walgreens, Shell and Borders everywhere. I don't want the horrible commute. If I were to live in Chicago it would be a place where I can ride the El or walk to most of what I need and actually meet people along the way who will speak to you. I might live in a place with a city center and buildings that weren't designed in corporate boardroom somewhere.
Yes, Mt. Vernon would be much better. So would Ana/Jonesboro, many Chicago neighborhoods, Champaign/Urbana, Springfield and a lot of other towns that aren't in the soulless suburbs.

[barb162]

90. You're right. There's a lot to be said for Naperville

There are people who come from out of state for some of the summer get-togethers like Ribfest, Last Fling, etc. And yes, Evanston and so many other places are nice too.

[jobycom]

45. Austin is 2 on the Big City list. And it's liberal. nt

[flamingyouth]

46. The Woodlands? Bellevue?

What did they base this on? It's safe to walk the streets at night, but spend a couple of years there and you lose the will to live?

[speedoo]

50. Money Magazine is the LAST resource i would use in deciding where to live.

The magazine is a fucking rag.

I'm sure things like diversity of the population and cultural opportunities are way down on the list of factors they consider if they are there at all.

I know the kind of places that rank high in these kinds of surveys, because I have lived and worked in several of them. Usually lilly white, conservative and boring.

Fuck that.

[GOPisEvil]

55. How many shitty, boring, white-bread Texas suburbs are on this list?

:puke::puke::puke:

Austin #2 for big cities, though. :thumbsup:

[calico1]

58. What are you supposed to do?

Move every year? A #1 place to live one year will not even be on the list a year later. A few years back Burlington, VT was #1. Where is it now? They do this every year. :eyes:

[NewJeffCT]

60. why are test scores compared to a state average?

Why are test scores for states with good school systems (Mass, CT, NJ, etc) compared to only other towns within their states, while the same goes for cities in states with poor school systems (like, um, TEXAS!)

So, if a state average test score in Connecticut is 1000 on the SAT, but in Texas it is 900... and, a city in CT has an average of 1050, while one in Texas in 950? Doesn't make sense to me.

[fishwax]

61. Which *there* wouldn't you live

I could easily be happy in fort collins, the number 1 place, but the rest of the top ten I'd very happily avoid :)

[fizzgig]

79. i live in fort collins

and i'm desperately trying to get away. no culture, mediocre restaurants, snotty college kids and fucking yuppies who read shit like money magazine

[fishwax]

80. I have a personal fondness for the place

on account of my grandparents living there when I was growing up and it being a home away from home. It wouldn't be my number one location, or anything, but if I had the chance to move there I would.

But to each their own, and it sucks being where you don't want to be. Best of luck on getting out soon :hi:

[querelle]

63. What?

No Canadian cities on the list? For shame! I live in the national capital Ottawa and I love it! Nice clean (relatively) crime free city with many parks and biking / hiking trails all within the city limits. Very cosmopolitan bilingual liberal populace. Population of about 1.2 million. Did I mention that Ottawa is also home to alot of very yummy looking men?

Montreal is a great place too, but decidely more French than Ottawa. Not a problem for me though as I speak French fluently.

Q

[ScreamingMeemie]

64. I'd take Canada over any of those cities anyday...well, my heart belongs

to WI, but I love my Canadian neighbors and neighborhoods. We're right across the river. :hi:


*** Disclaimer--- And no, idiots, I meant nothing other than what I posted by this post.

[dpbrown]

66. I wouldn't live in Eagan

It's too close to the refinery and the giant garbage dump for me.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

77. Or Eden Prairie

I got lost in Eden Prairie once while driving my stepfather to his medical appointment. We were running low on gas, and I drove for miles seeing nothing but McMansions. I kept thinking, "Where do all these people get gas?"

[dpbrown]

91. It's bad enough working there!

There is a nice lake to walk around, though.

[LaraMN]

95. I used to live in Eden Prairie...

Not my favorite place in the world.

[Blue-Jay]

69. Naperville?!?

I guess if you like shopping malls....

[swag]

70. .

Airbrushed posters crowd the halls
of freedom's home in shopping malls.
"Just buy one - the rest are free"
Happiness is born of greed.

[speedoo]

74. "They paved paradise....

... and put up a parking lot."

[MadHound]

71. Thank God, no place close to where I live is ranked high

This goddamn POS list is a goddamn curse. Back in 1990 Money ranked my hometown, Columbia Mo, as the best place to live. Well that sure screwed the pooch for those of us who lived here, because damn, did the people come swarming in. Ever since we've experienced unchecked growth and development, a rise in crime, a rise in RW politics, more pollution, more noise, more congestion. A small cool liberal little college town was invaded by money, greed and the right wing, and has never recovered.

Notice that Columbia is now rated at 76, and has been dropping steadily. Gee, thanks Money, you took a perfectly good town and destroyed it.

If you live in a great small city, never ever crow to Money magazine about it, otherwise they will rank you at the top and your great little city will be ruined.

[grace0418]

72. I can't really trust a list that would make Naperville IL #2.

No offense to Napervillites, but it's in ILLINOIS for cliff's sake. I live in Chicago proper and I love my neighborhood, but the weather alone would put *anything* in Illinois fairly far down the list IMHO. Add in the utter lack of any natural interest except cornfields and Lake Michigan, the strip malls in every suburb (even Naperville), the insane traffic, and did I mention the weather? My brother-in-law lived in Naperville for years and going out to his house was like a study in suburban sprawl. We could never remember which cookie-cutter suburban house was his, we had to look for the address. Sure there are some beautiful houses too, and a quaint downtown, but that isn't enough for me.

Oh, I almost forgot, let's talk about the racial diversity in Naperville–or lack thereof. When my brother-in-law had a family party at his house, I think it doubled the number of minorities within the city limits. But then again, a magazine like "Money" probably wouldn't consider a racially diverse town to be desirable.

[XNASA]

82. I like the weather here in Chicagoland.

A little bit of everything. It's been my experience that there are more pleasant days per year in Chicago than just about any other place in the continental US with the exception of California.

Those beautiful summer nights where the sun stays out until 9PM only happen in the Midwest.

I don't even mind Winter all that much. :shrug:

[grace0418]

84. Okay, even if the weather is your thing I still don't understand how

Naperville would be #2 in the country. Even if Naperville were in the best area of the country, weatherwise, it still would be a cookie-cutter, lily-white suburb.

[XNASA]

86. Agreed.

I can't stand suburbs. Well, except for Evanston.

[grace0418]

87. Yeah, Evanston is nice. When we finally bite the bullet and move out of

the city, Evanston is our next stop. It makes sense, since my husband works for Northwestern.

I like Oak Park too. But Evanston and Oak Park are really more like Chicago, they're barely suburbs.

[gr8dane_daddy]

76. I lived in Plano,TX

and worked in Richardson...hated it!

[swag]

78. So I guess what I'm hearing is that for the most part

this is a really suck-ass list.

[grace0418]

83. Correct. Well, I don't know about all the places on the list but the

ones on the list with which I am familiar do not stand out as particularly desirable.

Maybe the list should be "Best Places for White People to Live that Have the Most Chain Restaurants, Malls, and Subdivisions."

[IronLionZion]

88. Eden Prairie MN ?!?!?!?!?

:wtf: Oh maybe if you like lattes and lots of overpriced malls. The only thing that town has are malls. Come to Bloomington, at least we have the Mall of America.

[mvd]

89. Columbia, MD is nice

I'd like to return to Maryland, but I'd likely choose one of the small towns just across from the Eastern shore. Beautiful.

[NMMNG]

96. And expensive as all get out too

:scared:

But it is beautiful, I'll give it that.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

93. I LIVE in Plano, TX. What the heck criteria did they USE for this? Sheesh.

[GreenTea]

94. What, no liberal Humboldt - N CA coast?

Not crowded, liberal progressives, scenic, great ocean beaches, redwoods, mild sunny weather, rivers, mountains, great surfing & all other outdoor sports, a University & a JC, music, arts, fine organically grown foods & diverse restaurants, low cost housing (but gas cost is a fucker) good schools, wonderful organic smoke and beautiful earthy women - Poll must of gone haywire somewhere, hehe!

[XemaSab]

97. It's foggy all the time except when it's raining.

Everyone but EVERYONE is white.

There is almost no music or arts scene.

And watching liberals beat the shit out of each other for not being liberal enough is not my idea of fun.

[Nevernose]

101. I've lived in Henderson NV, Plano and Sugarland TX, AND Naperville, IL

Okay, I've never lived in Sugarland or Plano, only lived near them. Both are shitholes, mile after endless mile of tracthome and chain business. Some nice houses, but why not live in a real suburb instead of a prefab Xerox?

My parents lived in Napreville for a while. Smae thing as Plano or Sugarland, except instead of DeLay you get Hyde. Also a lot more pleasant places to live, so why the hell would you live in Naperville?

Henderson? I moved out of Henderson and into Las Vegas just a few months ago. Henderson is yet another pre-fab rich-asshole's idea of paradise.

All of the places mentioned in the article that I'm familiar with have a few things in common: individuality is persona non grata, rich assholes will (literally) spit on you if you're not careful, and you'd better vore Republican.

[LibDemAlways]

104. Repuke sister-in-law lives in a gated

area of Henderson. Very depressing place. All the identical houses are earth-tone adobe. The block walls between her and the neighbors are 10 feet high. Never see another human being around the "neighborhood." Of course hotter than hell in the summer. Every snarky chain restaurant you can think of in an endless series of strip-malls.

How anyone could put it on a "best places to live" list is beyond me. 10 most God awful would be more like it.

[JackDragna]

102. For the most part, all the places on these types of list..

..to me are the worst about what's happening to America. They're "safe," to be sure, with low crime, good schools, with everyone enjoying life at home with their 2.3 children. That's the problem, though: America has become a land of giant homes with giant yards, where those with the means retreat to their castles after work, never to mingle with their neighbors. They lead insular lives, right from the time they hop in their car in the morning to when they get home to work at night. Little meaningful ever changes.

I would take living in a real, walking-around city like Chicago, New York, Boston or some such over most of the places on this list. I've been to all of the above and have spent a particularly good while in Chicago. I am jealous of the residents every time I go there, with their ability to walk around, get to know the neighbors and be exposed with a short drive/jump on the El to all sorts of culture. To me, that is what humanity is all about. I live in Baton Rouge, which has to be the most driving-oriented major metropolitan area in the country. There's barely enough sidewalk space to walk anywhere except in residential areas, and the city is so spread out that you gotta drive everywhere.

To those of you who live in a walking city, don't feel bad about not being on this list.

[Karenca]

105. "To those of you who live in a walking city,

don't feel bad about not being on this list."

I don't feel bad at all.

I just can't understand any other lifestyle than citylife, but that's just me.

[LibDemAlways]

106. #35 Simi Valley CA

Home of the "Ronald Reagan Library and Burial Site." Home of the strip mall. Home of the row upon row of overpriced cookie cutter tract houses. Home of a Wal-Mart. Home city of Elton Gallegly, vile repuke rubber stamp Congressman who keeps getting re-elected by Ventura County morons. Home of a couple of bowling alleys and storefront evangelical churches. The very epitome of depressing, soulless suburb. #35, my ass.