Money's list of America's best small towns


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20. Chaska, MN
Chaska
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 20
Population: 23,900
Compare Chaska to Top 10 Best Places
Located in the pastoral Minnesota River valley just 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Chaska has worked hard to maintain its small-town vibe.

Families gather for summer concerts in the 19th-century downtown; the Chaska Community Center offers a wide variety of activities for residents.

The recent completion of Rt. 212 into the Twin Cities has halved commutes and lured new businesses into Chaska, but it has also caused a bump in traffic (and a slight bump in crime). --D.G.

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Chaska stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $92,269 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 50.69% 19.58%
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Median home price $209,076 $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 31.6% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 27.7% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 23 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 203 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,247 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 83.9° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 1.5° 21.0°
Median age 30.4 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $92,269 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $83,615 $95,041
State sales tax 6.88% 5.63%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 7.85%I 6.06%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 5.35%I 3.07%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,584 $1,744
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 50.69% 19.58%
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Median home price $209,076 $262,148
Average property taxes
(2008)		 $3,839 $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 18 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 31.6% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 27.7% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 91.7/8.3 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 N.A. 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 23 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 203 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 22.6 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 12.3% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.8% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 23 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,247 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 58 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 176 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 43 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 4 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 13 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 2.0 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 29.30 39.77
% clear days in the area 26 27
High temp in July ° F* 83.9° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 1.5° 21.0°
Median age 30.4 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 73.0% 71.9%
Married % 61.5% 62.9%
Divorced % 8.1% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 30.5 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.

(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.
Deduction or exemption tied to federal tax system. Federal deductions and exemptions are indexed for inflation.
FORTUNE 500
UnitedHealth Group 21
Target 28
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Help your town win!
Money picked the top 100. Now it’s your turn: Which town will be our fan favorite? Become a fan of your town and it might just make it to No. 1. Results updated monthly.
Town Become a fan # of fans
1. Louisville, CO Become a fan on facebook Add me! 4,256
2. Chanhassen, MN Become a fan on facebook Add me! 2,410
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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