Money's list of America's best small towns


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91. Glen Carbon, IL
Glen Carbon
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 91
Population: 12,500
Compare Glen Carbon to Top 10 Best Places
Glen Carbon's name reflects its mining heritage. This town half an hour from St. Louis has abundant vegetation and a soothing view of the Mississippi River basin.

A statute was recently passed to allow for 900 acres of development within city limits.

There's a wide selection of affordable housing here, plus strong community spirit that's especially evident during the town's annual Homecoming festival. --D.G.

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Glen Carbon stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $93,773 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 12.27% 19.58%
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Median home price $181,750 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 N.A. 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 N.A. 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 273 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,446 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 88.7° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 20.1° 21.0°
Median age 34.2 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $93,773 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $103,388 $95,041
State sales tax 6.25% 5.63%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 3.00% 6.06%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 3.00% 3.07%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,532 $1,744
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 12.27% 19.58%
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Median home price $181,750 $262,148
Average property taxes
(2007)		 $2,956 $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 20 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 N.A. 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 N.A. 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 98.2/1.8 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 64.0% 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 273 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 24.9 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 14.7% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.0% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 16 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,446 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 323 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 130 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 56 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 7 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 1 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 1.2 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 38.83 39.77
% clear days in the area 28 27
High temp in July ° F* 88.7° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 20.1° 21.0°
Median age 34.2 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 74.8% 71.9%
Married % 62.4% 62.9%
Divorced % 6.1% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 41.6 58.9
From the August 2009 issue
Notes:
* County data
(3) Crime incidences are estimates based on FBI 2007 Universal Crime and incidence reports, OnBoard analysis.
FORTUNE 500
Archer Daniels Midland 27
State Farm Insurance Cos. 31
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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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