Money's list of America's best small cities


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2. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD
Ellicott City
Hundreds flock to performances of the Chesapeake Shakespeare company at an open-air theater in Ellicott City.
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 2
Population: 155,000
Unemployment: 5.2%
Compare Ellicott City to Top 10 Best Places
Ellicott City boasts grand homes, a lovely 18th-century downtown, and lots of restaurants. Columbia offers a wide range of housing, tons of parkland, and a major music venue. But those varied amenities are far from the only reasons this duo has risen to No. 2 from No. 8 in 2008. It's also an economic powerhouse with a jobless rate just as enviable as Eden Prairie's.

The nearby National Security Agency and the Fort Meade Army base together account for more than 8,000 jobs, and the government plans to move thousands more positions there by next year. Baltimore and D.C. are within commuting distance (30 and 60 minutes, respectively).

As for housing, the foreclosure rate is one of the lowest in Maryland, yet homes are affordable -- by Northeast standards, anyway. Factor in excellent schools and a diverse population (17% of residents are black, 14% Asian), and you can see why this place has become a magnet for families. --Donna Rosato

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Is Ellicott City a great town, or what?
Ellicott City stats
  City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$116,820 $90,957
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*
8.16% 15.71%
See jobs near Ellicott City
Median home price $380,000 $239,391
See Ellicott City homes for sale
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
18.4% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
26.0% 22.9%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 23 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 303 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
3,814 2,967
High temp in July ° F 87.4° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 22.7° 21.3°
Median age 39.8 35.3
Financial City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$116,820 $90,957
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$95,754 $86,860
State sales tax 6.00% 5.45%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)
6.25% 7.35%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)
2.00% 2.96%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)
$2,217 $1,707
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*
8.16% 15.71%
See jobs near Ellicott City
Housing
Median home price $380,000 $239,391
Average property taxes N.A. $3,418
See Ellicott City homes for sale
Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)
47 25
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
18.4% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
26.0% 22.9%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)
88.3/11.7 87.8/12.2
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)
N.A. 77.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 23 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 303 24
Median commute time (in minutes) 25.1 21.4
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer
18.1% 13.6%
% population walk or bike to work 1.4% 3.6%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)
26 31
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
3,814 2,967
Bars
(within 15 miles)
360 207
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)
187 162
Libraries
(within 15 miles)
83 72
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)
28 10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 8 12
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 2.6 1.5
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)
45.03 37.40
% clear days in the area 29 29
High temp in July ° F 87.4° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 22.7° 21.3°
Median age 39.8 35.3
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)
78.8% 71.5%
Married % 62.9% 56.6%
Divorced % 6.3% 8.4%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
152.5 94.9
From the August 2010 issue
Notes: *County data
(3) Crime incidences are estimates based on FBI 2008 Universal Crime and incidence reports, OnBoard analysis.
Galleries & video
  • Homes for sale
  • Real estate and homes for sale on Trulia
Find Your Best Places
Region
Northeast South
Midwest West
Ranking
Top 100 winners only
Population
8.4M
46,000
Home Prices
2009 median sales prices
$1.2M
$36K
Video
Using statistics from data provider Onboard Informatics, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small cities for families. (Last year, we looked at small towns, with populations between 8,500 and 50,000.) More

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