Tulsa on Top

Some of the best places in the country to call home this year are areas where the local economy is stable and the housing market hasn't been hit with huge home price declines, according to RelocateAmerica.com's annual list of the top 100 places to live. Topping the list: Tulsa, Okla.

"The economy there has been very stable," said Steve Nickerson, president and CEO of TrueV New Media Group, which operates the RelocateAmerica.com Web site. The strength of the energy industry in the area was part of why Tulsa came out on top, he said. 

Cities have to be nominated to be eligible for the list; the Web site's editorial team then selects the top 100 places, based on interviews with local leaders and residents, as well as environmental, education, crime, employment and housing data for the past year.

Making the top of the list this year were areas that are stabilized or poised for a quicker comeback than other towns, Nickerson said. And many of these towns never experienced the kind of housing boom seen in other parts of the country.

Below are the top 10 places to live in 2009, according to RelocateAmerica.com:

1. Tulsa: The energy jobs in Tulsa have kept the area relatively stable during the economic downturn, according to its profile on RelocateAmerica.com. The unemployment rate was 5.6% in January, more than three points below the national average. The median price of an existing single-family home in Tulsa was $136,900 in 2008, according to the National Association of Realtors.

2. Dallas/Ft. Worth: Dallas has a concentration of high-tech companies, corporate headquarters and wholesale trade markets. Ft. Worth has had more than 900 major business expansions or relocations there over the past decade, according to the site. The median price of an existing single-family home in the area was $145,800 in 2008, according to NAR.

3. Pittsburgh: The city's biggest employers are in the education and medical fields; a diversified economy and sustainable financial corporations have also contributed to keeping Pittsburgh somewhat "recession proof." The median price of an existing single-family home in Pittsburgh was $118,400 in 2008, according to NAR.

4. Raleigh/Durham, N.C.: The area's Research Triangle Park employs thousands of area residents. Raleigh is also a center for commercial shipping, and a new 500,000-square-foot convention center opened in town last year, according to RelocateAmerica.com. Durham's economy is driven by education and medicine, and 2,000 new jobs were created there last year. The median price of an existing single-family home there was $223,400 in 2008, according to NAR.

5. Huntsville, Ala.: Huntsville is home to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal. One-fifth of workers are employed in manufacturing, including technology-based precision manufacturing. The median home price in March was $159,900, said Oscar Gonzales, spokesman for the Huntsville Area Association of Realtors. Housing inventory there is actually shrinking in the area, as is days a property stays on the market, he said. 

6. Houston: Houston is known as the Energy Capital of the World. Its oil and gas exploration and production was still adding jobs "at a prodigious rate" in early 2009, according to the site. The city added 87,000 jobs in 2007 and 17,800 in 2008. The median price of an existing single-family home in Houston was $151,600 in 2008, according to NAR.

7. Albuquerque, N.M.: The growing presence of the film industry has brought more jobs to Albuquerque over the last four years, providing high-paying positions for local crews. Within the past five years, $400 million has been spent in the local economy by the film industry. The median price of an existing single-family home in Albuquerque was $192,600 in 2008, according to NAR.

8. Lexington, Ky.: Lexington is a regional center for health care, which includes the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Other major employers include Toyota Motor Manufacturing and Lexmark International. The median price of an existing single-family home was $144,300 in 2008, according to NAR.

9. Little Rock, Ark.: The city has a growing wind energy industry, which has helped create jobs in the area. The median price of an existing single-family home in Little Rock was $129,800 in 2008, according to NAR.

10. Oklahoma City: Major employers in Oklahoma City include Tinker Air Force Base, the U.S. Postal Service, the University of Oklahoma and the FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. Last year Forbes magazine named it the most recession-proof economy in the country. The median price of an existing single-family home was $128,100 in 2008, according to NAR.

The entire list can be found at RelocateAmerica.com.

Amy Hoak is a MarketWatch reporter based in Chicago.