Where the jobs are

Especially now, plentiful job opportunities are key to making a great place to live. These 25 counties have experienced the most job growth over the last nine years.

7 of 25

7. Collin County, TX

Towns include: Allen, Carrollton, Dallas, Frisco, Garland, McKinney, Plano
Job growth (2000-2009): 53.0%

With stalwart financial giants like Bank of America and Wells Fargo around to soften the blow, Texas's wealthiest county weathered the economic downturn and sees good times ahead.

Collin County was a real estate hotspot in the 1980s and primarily a manufacturing center before that. Now the county's economy is more diverse.

After absorbing Countrywide Home Loans, Bank of America is now the go-to-employer in the county, followed by retail heavyweight J.C. Penney. High-tech firms like HP Enterprise Services (formerly Electronic Data Systems), Dell, Alcatel-Lucent, and Raytheon employ the bulk of the tech-savvy workforce.

Halliburton Energy Services also has a significant presence here. -- F.R.

NEXT: Broomfield County, CO

Last updated July 13 2010: 5:14 PM ET

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