America's Best Places to Live 2008

No. 8: Columbia/Ellicott City, Md.

Courtesy of Columbia Association

Population:
158,800

Miles from Baltimore:
21

Median family income:
$107,318

Job growth since 2000:
10.7%

Pros: Strong economy; family-friendly amenities

Con: Traffic can be heavy

One of the nation’s oldest settlements (it was founded in 1772), Ellicott City snuggles up to one of its newest, Columbia (a planned community conjured up out of 14,000 acres of farmland in 1967). This duo remains a perennial contender on our Best Places list thanks to its mix of charm, comfort and careful zoning.

Historic Ellicott City’s steep Main Street is lined with antique shops and teahouses, while Columbia, a cluster of nine residential villages around a town center, is home to offices of such high-powered tech companies as Arbitron, Merkle and Northrop Grumman. No wonder residents’ median household income has risen more than 20% since 2000.

Though traffic can be a headache, it’s easy to escape it: More than a third of Columbia’s acreage has been set aside as open space, including a 950-acre nature preserve, a skateboard park and three lakes.

No. 9: Overland Park, Kans.

Courtesy: City of Overland Park

Population: 166,700

Miles from Kansas City: 10

Typical single-family home: $275,000

Job growth since 2000: 16.8%

Pros: Reasonably priced housing, great job market

Con: Sometimes feels a little too planned

Overland Park’s flat terrain and grid layout don’t provide much drama, but for its residents, reasonable housing prices, good jobs and proximity to Kansas City, Mo. are excitement enough. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities to move,” says Chris Price, 46, a manager at an engineering consulting firm, “but the quality of life has always kept us here.” The city (where Sprint Nextel employs 12,000 people) recently began building a dozen soccer fields to host national tournaments—good news for local businesses. There are six major medical centers here too, and schools are among the best in the nation. Happily, development hasn’t paved over the green space: The Arboretum and Botanical Gardens covers 300 lush acres, for example.

No. 10: Fishers, Ind.

Courtesy: Town of Fishers

Population: 61,800

Miles from Indianapolis: 15

Economic development spending: $700 million from 2008 to 2010

Transit: New rail line in the next five years

Pros: Public transportation, growing economy

Con: Minimal downtown

Fishers is growing fast, attracting residents who are young (median age: 30) and smart (over 60% have a bachelor’s degree or more). It has the range of pluses common among our top 10, including a strong economy (lots of life-science companies are moving in), low home prices ($149,700 for the typical house) and good schools (they get high rankings in the state). Though a walkable downtown is still in the planning stages, transportation is already here: Fishers started a commuter bus service to downtown Indianapolis and plans rapid transit via rail in the next two to five years. When it comes to smart planning and sheer livability, other places could learn a lot from this little city in the Midwest.

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