Naperville, IL               

Top 100 rank: 2nd

The City of Naperville is no stranger to being recognized as an outstanding community, having received numerous awards over the years.  In 2005, the city was once again named as one of best places to live in the United States by Money Magazine.  Naperville ranked third of 100 finalists and was the only Illinois town to make the 2005 

 "It is a huge honor to be recognized so consistently as a community of excellence," said the city's Community Relations Manager, Gary Karafiat.  "We do our best to provide top quality services, but what truly makes this city an amazing place to live are the people who live, work, and raise their families here."

To find America's best places to live, Money Magazine considered statistics such as population, population growth, median income, and real estate appreciation.  Towns had to be located no more than 60 miles from a major airport and 30 miles of a major teaching hospital.  In addition, only cities with high education scores were included in the search. Towns that fell below the twenty-fifth percentile in any two of the following areas were also eliminated: unemployment, income growth, crime, or arts resources. 

The remaining one hundred towns were ranked on factors such as economy, education, safety, environment, housing affordability, cultural opportunities, and more.  In the end, Naperville was awarded the number three position behind the winner Moorestown, NJ and runner up Bainbridge Island, WA.  Rounding out the top five were number four Vienna, VA and number five Louisville, CO.  With 136,900 residents, Naperville's population exceeds the populations of the four other cities ranked in the top five combined.  

The City of Naperville has been recognized by a number of organizations in the last ten years. The city was previously recognized by Money Magazine as the best place to live in the Midwest in 2003.  Naperville was also recognized by Money Magazine as one of the best places to retire in the United States.  In 1997 and 2001, the city was voted a top city in the nation to raise children.  In addition, Naperville is home to one of the top library systems in the country, and is the only city worldwide to have an accredited museum, police, fire and emergency communications department.

“This recognition is built on generations of collaboration by virtually every entity within the city,” City Manager Peter Burchard said of Money Magazine honor.  “It recognizes the efforts of the entire city from developers to schools, to parks, to businesses and the many prior elected officials who remained committed to a set of values, and conveyed that vision