What is the best place to live in the US, in terms of job and quality of life for your family?

Question

I am looking at the best place to live for me and my family in the US. I work for one of the lagest IT companies and, in order to maintain my managerial role at such senior level, I understand I am short listed when it comes to where I should be living, from a careeer perspective. However, I am also looking for a good quality and standard of living for my family (neighborhood, schools, etc.). We currently looking at the Washington DC area, but this may not be the best location to relocate to. I understand this is a very subjective topic, but I am looking for some guidelines on where (or what) I should be looking, in order to base my opinion upon, before I can make my decision. I thank you in advance for your kind attention and precious advise.

Answer 1

And the winners are...I'm from the midwest but have lived in California, Arizona, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Carolina..plus I've had jobs where I traveled a lot..

So where are Americans flocking to? Places that offer big-city opportunities and amenities -- with a lot more green space, good jobs, great quality of living, and a lot less stress. Here are the top 10 Great American Towns of 2006, according to Money Magazine:

1. Fort Collins, CO (if you don't mind the cold)
2. Naperville, IL (Visited quite a bit; cold: suburb of Chicago; long winters)
3. Sugar Land, TX (good climate; near Houston)
4. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD (cold; near Baltimore and Bethesda MD)
5. Cary, NC (Lived here-mild climate, near Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Research Triangle Park)
6. Overland Park, KS (cold; near Kansas City)
7. Scottsdale, AZ (Worked here-and lived in Phoenix; 120 in the summer; missed the trees; nice folks)
8. Boise, ID (cold)
9. Fairfield, CT (Visited here a lot-very cold; not a friendly place)
10. Eden Prairie, MN (Worked near here and lived in Mpls-lots of snow & cold, but gorgeous place, nice people)

How'd Money come up with these cities?

They narrowed down the list to 201 small cities, and ranked the remaining places based on what matters most: A Money/ICR poll of 1,005 Americans found that ample *job opportunities*, *good schools*, and *low crime* are the most important characteristics people look for in a place to live. Meanwhile, the most disliked attributes are congestion, high crime, and lack of job opportunities. Using this information, they ranked places using 38 quality-of-life indicators and 6 economic opportunity measures in the following categories: Ease of Living, Health, Education, Crime, Park space, Arts and Leisure...

Best Big Cities (Top Ten):
Colo. Springs
Austin, Tx
Mesa, Az (suburb of Phoenix)
Raleigh, Nc
San Diego, Ca
Virginia Beach, Va
Omaha, Ne
Columbus, OH
Wichita, KS
New York City

Good luck!

Answer 2

Manchester, New Hampshire was rated the #1 city to live in the country. Manchester is 1 hour north of Boston, MA. I live in this area and it is an excellent area for schools, quality of life and (compared to Washington DC) affordable housing. Once you get past the Yankee stiff upper lip thing, people here are very friendly and family and community oriented.

Answer 3

I'm not sure. But Alabama's pretty good. The weather is odd in lower AL, it's winter and it's 80 degrees outside. But there are a lot of jobs, because people don't really know Alabama to be a modern place. Plus, many of the towns are friendly in lower Alabama. Nothing more hospitable than the south.

Answer 4

Arizona or Florida. The two cities I recommend are Tempe or Phoenix in Arizona or Palm Coast in Florida. Also check out Ormond Beach in Florida.

No snow. Quality of life very high. Income midde in terms of national average. Housing costs mid-range. Few bad neighborhoods.

Answer 5

where are you now, do you want to relocate? why do you want to move? good questions for you to consider.

Answer 6

and,..I'm still looking,........