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We relied on key numbers such as population growth, percentage of workforce in the creative class, income growth, median growth and cost of living to choose our Best Cities for 2008. But these are only a fraction of the factors we considered. We know that you're a well-educated bunch who appreciate economic opportunities and a high quality of life and put a premium on managing money responsibly -- so cost of living is a priority.
Our process is based on work done by Kevin Stolarick, of the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity. Stolarick helped us come up with a formula to identify thriving cities that also have the ingredients for future success.
So we included "triple threat" data on population growth, income growth and job growth. We also looked at the quality of jobs, giving high marks to places with many workers in technology, education, and professional and technical services.
Stolarick also included a "creative class" measurement, which comes from work he does with Richard Florida, academic director of the Martin Institute and author of The Rise of the Creative Class. Creative-class workers -- scientists, engineers, educators, writers, artists, entertainers and others -- inject both economic and cultural vitality into a city and help make it a vibrant place to live.
We also used the data to pinpoint suburbs or towns in a metro area where our readers might feel particularly at home. So places such as Cary, N.C., and Sugar Land, Tex., are mentioned in our stories.
Further research involved traveling to cities and interviewing insiders about prospects for continued prosperity. Our rankings factor in both the data and the results of our reporting.
PODCAST: Senior editor Bob Frick and Kevin Stolarick discuss the selection process behind the Best Cities to Live, Work and Play. Click here.
Reader Comments (7)
Posted by: Mike at 06/18/2008 11:42:33 AM
...(Houston) is flat, ugly, sprawling, and it literally SMELLS.
Posted by: Seriously? at 06/19/2008 02:01:30 PM
Are you serious? COLORADO SPRINGS? 4 Words: FOCUS ON THE FAMILY...Colorado Springs is the conservative Christians Boulder...How it made it on this list is beyond me. Maybe the creative class is listed as preachers and artists that find images of Christ in potato chips and other snack foods...Kiplinger will never get a dime in subscription money from me with choices like this one.
Posted by: Frank at 06/19/2008 02:47:50 PM
Your criteria has a gaping hole: environmental quality. Houston is high on a short list of most polluted cities in America, and Raleigh has acute water shortage issues...
Posted by: Chris at 06/19/2008 05:26:20 PM
Sacramento with population of 2 million? Not by a long ways, guys. It's still under 500,000...(Editor's Note: We are listing the populations of all our best cities according to the metropolitan areas.)
Posted by: Anonymous at 06/19/2008 05:34:02 PM
Hey! Houston is so cool! It's big, and has so many things to do.
Posted by: TF in Raleigh at 07/17/2008 10:30:13 AM
I've been in Raleigh for over 20 years and let me tell you...I USED to love it here! It's overcrowded with illegal immigrants, over-taxed..., the public school system is a mess, with overcrowded schools (due mostly to illegals) and kids are being FORCED into year-round schools. North Carolina has got one of the highest gas taxes in the nation. If I didn't HAVE to live here, I wouldn't be here. On the upside, if you are single and have lots of money to burn...it's a great place to live!
Posted by: Kathleen at 08/15/2008 04:49:12 PM
TF ,I appreciate your honestly in your post about Raleigh. In considering places to live in NC I will take into consideration your comments.