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82. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Rancho Santa Margarita
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 82
Population: 49,600
Compare Rancho Santa Margarita to Top 10 Best Places
This Orange County suburb is tucked beneath the Saddleback Mountains, and many properties have great views of Modjeska Peak.

Because Rancho Santa Margarita is further inland than ultra-desirable oceanside properties like Laguna Beach, homes are cheaper -- but the water is still only about half an hour away.

Each subdivision is part of a homeowners association with strict rules about home maintenance, and each member pays a fee to maintain parks and wide roads with planted medians. --N.A.

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Rancho Santa Margarita stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $122,165 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 6.04% 19.58%
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Median home price $398,750 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 61.9% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 35.1% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 11 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,656 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 80.9° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 45.8° 21.0°
Median age 32.6 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $122,165 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $98,879 $95,041
State sales tax 7.25% 5.63%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 10.30%I 6.06%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 1.00%I 3.07%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,860 $1,744
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 6.04% 19.58%
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Median home price $398,750 $262,148
Average property taxes
(2007)		 $5,593 $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 21 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 61.9% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 35.1% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 62.5/37.5 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 70.0% 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 11 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 29.7 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 22.0% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.1% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 32 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,656 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 74 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 181 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 29 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 3 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 7 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 0.1 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 12.87 39.77
% clear days in the area 44 27
High temp in July ° F* 80.9° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 45.8° 21.0°
Median age 32.6 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 81.3% 71.9%
Married % 66.8% 62.9%
Divorced % 8.2% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 82.3 58.9
From the August 2009 issue
Notes:
* County data

(I) Income tax notes:
Values adjusted for inflation each year.
Some states effectively double the bracket widths for joint filers (AL, AZ, CT, HI, ID, KS, LA, ME, NE, NY, OR). CA doubles all bracket widths except the $1,000,000 bracket. Some states increase, but don't double, all or some bracket widths for joint filers (GA, MN, NM, NC, ND, OK, RI, VT, WI). Some states do not adjust their brackets for joint filers (AR, DE, IA, KY, MS, MO, MT, OH, SC, VA, WV, DC). Of these states, some permit married couples to file separately to avoid a marriage penalty, and some allow joint filers to make an adjustment to reduce their tax after it is calculated. MD decreases some of its bracket widths and increases others. NJ adds a 2.45% rate and doubles some bracket widths.
Tax credit.
Help your town win!
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3. Papillion, NE Become a fan on facebook Add me! 1,581
4. Middleton, WI Become a fan on facebook Add me! 1,481
5. Milton, MA Become a fan on facebook Add me! 1,425
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How we picked the Best Places
Using statistics from data provider Onboard Informatics, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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