America's Best Places to Live 2008

No. 6: Norman, Okla.

From: www.normanoklahomarealestate.us

Population: 102,800

Miles from Oklahoma City: 17

Typical single-family home: $163,600

People at the typical OU game: 84,860

Pros: Affordable housing, football mania

Cons: Severe weather, football mania

Sit down for lunch at Café Plaid in Norman and you’ll see a little of everything: mothers with babies, students with laptops, and out-of-towners visiting the University of Oklahoma across the street. The café is a perfect microcosm of Norman itself. People flock here from around the world to study and teach—and then to stay and raise a family.

Carlos Lamarche, 36, a professor at OU who is originally from Argentina, had several job offers around the country after completing his Ph.D. in the spring. But he and his wife Barbara liked Norman because, he says, “We felt this would be a great place to raise a family.”

The university not only helps draw educated workers here but also serves as a major source of entertainment for residents. When the OU Sooners play football against their longtime rival, the University of Texas, Norman schools are almost always closed on Friday (you read that right) and the town packs the stadium. That’s terrific if you love all things gridiron. If you don’t, then not so much. Console yourself with the campus’ world-class art museum, which houses works by Degas, Monet and Renoir.

Affordability is another plus: Starter homes go for about $135,000. While Norman hasn’t had huge run-ups in housing prices, the city has also been spared the devastating downside.

No 7: Round Rock, Texas

Courtesy: City of Round Rock

Population: 92,400

Miles from Austin: 17

Typical single-family home: $192,500

Job growth since 2000: 46.8%

Pros: Affordable homes, loads of outdoor amenities

Con: One employer dominates the economy

When Walter Rock, 49, moved here in 1990, he says, the biggest entertainment was watching people play dominoes in front of the gas station. Now, says the engineer turned real estate agent, “I rarely have to leave Round Rock for anything.”

Once merely a bedroom community of Austin, Round Rock today is very much its own city thanks largely to three things: affordable housing, excellent schools and computer maker Dell, which has established its headquarters here.

The city boasts three medical centers and a campus of Texas State University. There’s a lot of shopping, from an IKEA to a premium outlet mall, and a minor league baseball team, the Round Rock Express. Residents enjoy more than 800 acres of open space, two golf courses and 64-mile-long Lake Travis, just west of the city.

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