Money's list of America's best small cities


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70. Norman, OK
Norman
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 70
Population: 109,000
Compare Norman to Top 10 Best Places
Visit Norman on the second Friday in October and you'll notice that most of the schools are closed.

That's because it's the "Red River Shootout," the weekend that resident college University of Oklahoma plays football against its longtime rival, the University of Texas. Sooner fever runs hot here.

The university draws many educated workers to the city (nearly half of Norman residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher), and the low unemployment rate and affordable housing help keep them here. --J.S.

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Is Norman a great town, or what?
Norman stats
  City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $69,287 $90,957
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*		 15.65% 15.71%
See jobs near Norman
Median home price $135,000 $239,391
See Norman homes for sale
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 6.2% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 11.5% 22.9%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 2 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 31 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,386 2,967
High temp in July ° F 93.3° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 25.2° 21.3°
Median age 29.6 35.3
Financial City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $69,287 $90,957
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $77,763 $86,860
State sales tax 4.50% 5.45%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 5.50%I 7.35%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 0.50%I 2.96%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,793 $1,707
Job growth %
(2000-2009)*		 15.65% 15.71%
See jobs near Norman
Housing
Median home price $135,000 $239,391
Average property taxes
(2009)		 $1,462 $3,418
See Norman homes for sale
Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 13 25
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 6.2% 22.9%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 11.5% 22.9%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 92.8/7.2 87.8/12.2
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 95.0% 77.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 2 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 31 24
Median commute time (in minutes) 17.0 21.4
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 9.7% 13.6%
% population walk or bike to work 4.7% 3.6%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 8 31
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 1,386 2,967
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 126 207
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 68 162
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 34 72
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 7 10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) N.A. 12
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 1.7 1.5
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 37.96 37.40
% clear days in the area 38 29
High temp in July ° F 93.3° 86.2°
Low temp in Jan ° F 25.2° 21.3°
Median age 29.6 35.3
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 73.3% 71.5%
Married % 47.0% 56.6%
Divorced % 10.0% 8.4%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 95.8 94.9
From the August 2010 issue
Notes: *County data

(I) Income tax notes:
The rate range reported is for single individuals. For married couples filing jointly, the same rates apply to income brackets ranging from $2,000 to $15,000.
  • Homes for sale
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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
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 cities for families. (Last year, we looked at small towns, with populations between 8,500 and 50,000.) More

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