Best Places to Live

Money's list of America's best small cities

States

Top 100
Rank	City	Population
71	Clarkstown	82,600
59	Clay	58,800
80	Greenburgh	89,000
46	North Hempstead	222,600

Other cities
Rank	City	Population
	Albany	93,900
	Amherst	114,400
	Baldwin	22,900
	Bay Shore	25,000
	Brentwood	55,400
	Brighton	34,500
	Buffalo	276,000
	Centereach	28,800
	Central Islip	33,100
	Cheektowaga	76,300
	Commack	37,500
	Copiague	22,200
	Coram	38,100
	Deer Park	29,300
	Dix Hills	26,300
	East Meadow	37,600
	East Northport	21,800
	East Patchogue	21,100
	Elmont	34,100
	Franklin Square	29,000
	Freeport	43,100
	Garden City	21,800
	Glen Cove	26,400
	Harrison	26,300
	Hauppauge	21,700
	Hempstead	52,500
	Hicksville	40,700
	Holbrook	29,500
	Huntington Station	30,500
	Irondequoit	51,000
	Islip	22,000
	Lake Ronkonkoma	21,000
	Levittown	52,000
	Lindenhurst	27,900
	Lockport	21,000
	Long Beach	35,100
	Lynbrook	19,400
	Massapequa	22,300
	Medford	23,100
	Merrick	22,400
	Middletown	26,000
	Mount Vernon	68,300
	New City	34,000
	New Rochelle	73,400
	New York	8,214,400
	Niagara Falls	52,300
	North Bellmore	19,900
	North Tonawanda	31,700
	Oceanside	32,000
	Ossining	23,500
	Peekskill	24,600
	Plainview	25,600
	Port Chester	28,000
	Ramapo	115,000
	Rochester	208,100
	Rockville Centre	24,000
	Ronkonkoma	20,400
	Rotterdam	20,400
	Saratoga Springs	28,400
	Schenectady	61,500
	Selden	22,700
	Shirley	27,300
	Smithtown	27,700
	Spring Valley	25,400
	Syracuse	140,600
	Tonawanda	58,700
	Union	54,300
	Uniondale	23,000
	Utica	59,000
	Valley Stream	35,400
	West Babylon	44,600
	West Islip	29,600
	West Seneca	43,900
	White Plains	57,000
	Yonkers	197,800

From the August 2008 issue

Best Places Winners

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Video

Why Plymouth is No. 1

A sense of home, parks and award-winning schools help put this Minnesota city at the top of Money's Best Places to Live list. Watch
Why Fort Collins is a natural pick

Green-minded residents love this Colorado city, no. 2 on Money's Best Places to Live list, where you can borrow a bike, and enjoy the nearby mountains. Watch
Naperville's family feel

Great schools, a vibrant downtown and low crime help put this small city near Chicago at No. 3 on Money's Best Places to Live list. Watch
Hoboken's great singles scene

For the second year running, Hoboken takes the top spot for the over 30 and single scene, as part of Money's Best Places to Live. Watch
Where to beat the gas crunch

In places like State College, Pa., commutes are short or many residents get to work in ways that dont use a lot of fuel. Watch

Top 3

City	Median income
New Canaan, CT	$231,138
Darien, CT	$218,130
Lake Forest, IL	$212,122

See the rest

City	% single
Hoboken, NJ	57.7%
Cambridge, MA	52.4%
Somerville, MA	51.4%

See the rest

City	Median home price
Nicholasville, KY	$70,000
Watauga, TX	$117,040
Redan, GA	$115,000

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How we picked the Best Places

Using statistics from data provider Onboard Informatics and consultant Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net, 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 7,500 and 50,000.) More