NEW YORK (Money Magazine) - These two places, Naperville, Ill, and Woodbury, Minn., topped our rankings of the most desirable places to live in the central United States. For the complete list of top-ranked places to live click here.

Naperville, Ill.

Naperville's farm-town roots have given developers plenty of space to work with even into the 1990s. And unlike many Chicago boom 'burbs, Naperville seems tailor-made for families, with its lively and strollable town square, ambling riverfront trails and former quarries for swimming and paddling.

The local public schools are ranked among the best in the state and many residents work at the big technology and service-sector companies that line long stretches of the I-88 tollway. A half-hour train ride to Chicago satisfies both high-culture urges and deep-dish-pizza cravings.

Woodbury, Minn.

Green, growing, family-friendly One of the fastest-swelling suburbs in the Twin Cities region, Woodbury is just southeast of St. Paul, the state's capital. Think green. The town boasts 1,600 acres of parklands, and neighborhoods are connected by 70 miles of walking and biking trails. Major employers in the area include State Farm and 3M.

Here, family friendliness is more than a slogan on a city seal: In spite of state budget cuts, the town recently finished a $7 million indoor park, with a playground and waterfalls. According to one 2003 local survey, Woodbury residents say they're willing to pay more property taxes to maintain valued town services.