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Magazine Ranks Naperville 3rd Best Place To Live

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (STNG) ― Naperville remains one of the nation's best places to live, according to Money magazine.

The publication Monday released its latest list of "America's Best Places to Live." Naperville ranked No. 3.

Naperville ranked No. 2 on the magazine's 2006 list and No. 3 on its 2005 list. Last year, the magazine limited eligibility to small towns of 7,500 to 50,000 people. Naperville has more than 142,000 residents.

Plymouth, Minn. topped this year's list, followed by Fort Collins, Col., the town that beat out Naperville for the title in 2006.

"This year Money's No. 1 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," Money managing editor Eric Schurenberg said in a news release. "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 and will appear in the August issue of Money, on newsstands July 21.

In the online edition, the magazine offers full profiles of the top 100 small cities and a video tour of the top three places, including Naperville. The online edition also offers detailed stats on real estate, schools, income, weather, crime and quality of life.

Money said it looked at "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."

This year's list features U.S. cities that have populations of 50,000 to 300,000. It excluded retirement communities and those that are more than 95 percent white. It screened out cities with high crime, big population declines, significant unemployment or job shrinkage, and long commutes, the release said.

It ranked 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.

-- Naperville Sun

(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2006. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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