Jul 15, 2008 12:09 pm US/Mountain
'Money' Ranks Ft. Collins 2nd Best Place To Live
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) ―
Money Magazine is out with its annual Best Places To Live list and Fort Collins ranks at No. 2.
It's another notch in the crown for the northern Colorado city that Gov. Bill Ritter calls "one of Colorado's priceless gems."
Plymouth, Minn., came in at No. 1 on the list, followed by Fort Collins; Naperville, Ill.; Irvine, Calif., and Franklin Township, N.J.
Fort Collins Mayor Doug Hutchinson said the great people who live in the city are a big reason for the high ranking.
"I think have the superb balance in Fort Collins of the environment -- including the weather and mountains, the community -- they talked about bike paths, we have a lot of community amenities and great school, hospitals, etc., and economy, and it takes those three things I think in a balanced way to make it a great city," Hutchison said.
Information used to compile the list included housing, education and employment statistics. "Bioscience and tech companies, including Agilent Technologies, Hewlett-Packard and Kodak, keep employment opportunities high," the magazine's editors noted.
This is the tenth year the magazine has released a Best Places To Live list. In 2006 Fort Collins was ranked at No. 1. The city has also shown up on dozens of other national lists as a top place to live and raise a family.
"It's extremely rewarding to see this type of national recognition for Colorado and our communities," Gov. Bill Ritter is quoted as saying in the magazine. "As home to Colorado State University, innovative businesses and an overall high quality of life, Fort Collins truly deserves this honor."
Hutchison said the good rankings allow the city to be a "little bit more choosy" about the kinds of businesses they'd like to have in their community.
As far as other Colorado cities, Highlands Ranch was ranked No. 12 on the list. Loveland was ranked at No. 33, Westminster was No. 44 and Longmont was No. 50.
Louisville, which was No. 3 on the list last year, didn't show up in the rankings.
Additional Resources
(© MMVIII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
