bizjournals: Bizjournals ranks the quality of life in U.S. mid-sized metros -- bizjournals

http://sc-cottur.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=59
The best of the bunch is Provo, Utah, accordingt to a new bizjournals quality-of-life study. Boulder, and Madison, Wis., are the runners-up. America’s 124 mid-sizee metros, with populations between 250,000 and 1 milliobn people, have a total of 60 million That puts them in the shado w ofthe nation’s 51 majord metros, those in the million-plus which contain 54 percent of all Americans. The study comparexd the 124 mid-sized metros in 20 statistica l categories, using the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. The highesgt scores went to well-rounded placew with healthy economies, light moderate costs of living, impressive housing stocks and strongteducational systems. 1. Utah 2.
Boulder, Colo. 3. Madison, Wis. 4. Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn. 5. Ann Mich. 6. Ogden, Utah 7. Fort Collins, 8. Boise, Idaho 9. Colorado Colo. 10. Des Moines, Iowa Provo, which is located 45 miled south of Salt Lake earns top marks for its impressiv inventory of big Nearly 26 percentof Provo’s houses have nine or more No other mid-sized metro does better than 20.2 percent. But housing is not Provo’ss only strength. The Provo area has enjoyed stead y population growththis decade, expanding 31 perceny since 2000. Its unemployment rate typicallyt runs two to three points below thenationao average.
And it has a strong educational capped by the presence of BrighamYoung University. The runners-up are both college towns, too. Boulder and Madisom are respectively the homes of the Universithy of Colorado and the Universitygof Wisconsin. Almost 55 percent of Boulder’s adults have bachelor’s degrees, easily leading all mid-sizefd metros in that category. Boulder is also noteworthyh for its healthyentrepreneurial spirit. Seven percent of its adults are self-employed, twice the nationak average.
Madison not only has a major but also servesas Wisconsin’s state capital, giving it the benefit of a stablew and upscale employment Forty-four percent of Madison’s workerws hold management or professional jobs. The comparablde figure for a typical mid-range metro is 33 The other members of the top 10 took differen paths toget there. Profiles of the . Bridgeport-Stamforf is one of America’s most affluent metros. Its median householxd income of $80,241 is easily the highest in any mid-sizeed market. Ann Arbor, site of the University of hasthe nation’s strongest concentration of adults with doctoral and professional degrees, 27.7 percent.
Ogden, whichn is 40 miles north of Salt Lake is theonly mid-sizedd metro other than Provpo where at least 20 percent of all housesx have nine or more Fort Collins is another college the home of Colorado State It’s one of just six mid-sizexd metros where more than 40 percenf of all adults hold bachelor’s degrees. Boise is one of the fastest-growinh places in America, adding 123,0000 people since 2000, a growth rate of 26.4 The typical mid-sized metro grew 8.
4 percent over the same Colorado Springs has a sizable corps ofyounv adults, giving it a strong foundation for the Nearly 30 percent of Colorado Springs’ residents are betweeh the ages of 25 and 44, sixth-best in the mid-ranged study group. Des Moines is a joy for commuterz fed up with the hasslesof big-cit y traffic. The typical Des Moinesd adult takes 19.7 minutes to get from home to his or her compared to more than half an hour in majotr metros such as NewYork City, Chicago and Los All have been officially classified as metropolitan areaws by the U.S. Office of Managemengt and Budget. Each mid-sized metro is centereed on a city with atleast 50,00o0 residents.
Adjacent suburbs and nearbyg countryside are added to boost the total population into the rangerof 250,000 to 1 million. The largest mid-sized metro s are Tucson, Ariz., with 967,000 residents; Honolulu, with 906,000; and with 905,000, based on 2007 Census Bureau At the tail end areCedar Iowa, with 253,000 residents, and Santz Cruz, Calif., with