Money's list of America's best small towns


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29. Parker, CO
Parker
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WINNER
Top 100 rank: 29
Population: 41,000
Compare Parker to Top 10 Best Places
This once-rural enclave still has a charming ranch vibe, with panoramic mountain views and the occasional cowboy hat. Steady growth has encouraged construction, which means relatively low home prices; many residents work at the Denver Tech Center, just 20 minutes away. One of the healthiest communities in America, this young town can expect a wealth of new recreation opportunities when a local reservoir is completed in 2012. What’s more, an arts center with a theater, dance studio, and 250-seat outdoor amphitheater is scheduled to open before the end of 2011. --A.W.
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Parker stats
  City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $93,891 $99,975
Job growth %
(2000-2010)*		 65.45% 24.63%
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Median home price $251,000 $265,929
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 22.5% 25.1%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 31.2% 24.7%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 16
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,230 2,758
High temp in July ° F 85.4° 84.1°
Low temp in Jan ° F 17.8° 20.9°
Median age 32.4 36.35
Financial City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)		 $93,891 $99,975
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $91,068 $95,706
State sales tax 2.90% 5.75%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 N.A.I 7.37%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 4.63%I 3.13%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,502 $1,687
Job growth %
(2000-2010)*		 65.45% 24.63%
See jobs near Parker
Housing
Median home price $251,000 $265,929
Average property taxes
(2010)		 $2,669 $4,083
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Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 17 28
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 22.5% 25.1%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 31.2% 24.7%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 91.1/8.9 92.1/7.9
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 66.0% 78.5%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 1 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 13 16
Median commute time (in minutes) 27.8 23.3
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 16.1% 15.4%
% population walk or bike to work 1.8% 2.6%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 35 30
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 2,230 2,758
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 151 208
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 113 165
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 48 74
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 6 10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 11 16
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 0.2 1.2
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 15.21 39.07
% clear days in the area 32 27
High temp in July ° F 85.4° 84.1°
Low temp in Jan ° F 17.8° 20.9°
Median age 32.4 36.35
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 82.0% 74.5%
Married % 71.1% 61.5%
Divorced % 7.9% 7.6%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 50.3 71.0
From the September 2011 issue
Notes: *County data

(I) Income tax notes:
These states use the personal exemption amounts provided in the federal Internal Revenue Code.
Galleries and more
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Fan Favorite Food

We asked readers to share their favorite hometown dishes. Now it’s time for you to choose: The most popular dish will be named Fan Favorite!

Hometown dish Town
1. Low Cal Tex Mex Seguin, TX
2. Chile Relleno Seguin, TX
3. Super Bowl Breakfast Jamestown, CA,
4. Texas BBQ Luling, TX
5. Shrimp 'n Grits to die for! Raleigh, NC
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Fan Favorite Towns

Money picked the top 100. Now it's your turn: Which town will be our fan favorite? 'Like' your town and it might just make it to No. 1.

Town # of Likes
1. Saratoga Springs, NY 407
2. Glen Ellyn, IL 202
3. Castle Rock, CO 199
4. Mason, OH 181
5. Oswego, IL 172
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Find Your Best Places
Region
Northeast South
Midwest West
Ranking
Top 100 winners only
Population
8.4M
8,500
Home Prices
2010 median sales prices
$2.3M
$42K
How we picked the Best Places
Using statistics from data services company 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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