NEW YORK (Money Magazine) - These two places, Naperville, Ill, and
Woodbury, Minn., topped our rankings of the most desirable places to
live in the central United States. For the complete list of top-ranked
places to live
click here.
Naperville, Ill.
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Pop. increase since 1990: 56%
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Median household income:
$94,687 |
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Median home price: $260,000
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Naperville's farm-town roots have given developers plenty of space to
work with even into the 1990s. And unlike many Chicago boom 'burbs,
Naperville seems tailor-made for families, with its lively and
strollable town square, ambling riverfront trails and former quarries
for swimming and paddling.
The local public schools are ranked among the best in the state and
many residents work at the big technology and service-sector companies
that line long stretches of the I-88 tollway. A half-hour train ride to
Chicago satisfies both high-culture urges and deep-dish-pizza cravings.
Woodbury, Minn.
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Pop. increase from 1990: 153%
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Median household income:
$81,592 |
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Median home price: $219,000
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Green, growing, family-friendly One of the fastest-swelling suburbs
in the Twin Cities region, Woodbury is just southeast of St. Paul, the
state's capital. Think green. The town boasts 1,600 acres of parklands,
and neighborhoods are connected by 70 miles of walking and biking
trails. Major employers in the area include State Farm and 3M.
Here, family friendliness is more than a slogan on a city seal: In
spite of state budget cuts, the town recently finished a $7 million
indoor park, with a playground and waterfalls. According to one 2003
local survey, Woodbury residents say they're willing to pay more
property taxes to maintain valued town services. |
