Paying three bucks for a roll of toilet paper? Can’t find a job, a significant other or a breath of smogless air? Perhaps it’s time to move to Eden Prairie, Minn. The population 64,000 suburb of the Twin Cities is the best place to live in the United States, according to a Money Magazine list of America’s best small cities.
Eden Prairie nailed the top spot for its 5.1 percent unemployment rate — more than four points below the national average — and stellar quality of life perks. The town is known for its great schools, clean streets and healthy citizens. And in true Land of 10,000 Lakes fashion, Eden Prairie is home to “17 lakes that residents flock to year-round for swimming and ice skating,” according to CNN, which is hosting the list online.
Columbia/Ellicott City, Md. scored second and Newton, Mass. third on a list that was built using data such as median home price, job growth, fast commutes, clean air and “rich and single.” According to the list, Newport Beach, Calif. is the small city with the highest percentage of wealthy singles in the US. Richmond, Va. has the cleanest air. And Logan, Utah residents have the shortest commute to work at an average of 10.6 minutes. Palmdale, Californians have the longest at just less than 40 minutes.
But what’s the point of packing up and moving out to cleaner pastures populated by rich singles if you can’t find a job? According to the list, the best employment opportunities are sprinkled throughout America’s plains states. Lincoln County, S.D. has the most explosive job growth between 2000-2009 at 67 percent. Counties in Texas, Colorado and Utah round out the top ten.
Check out the full list here.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons.