Holland, Ann Arbor Make Top 10 Quality Of Life List

Coming on the heels of its ranking of the major markets that offer the best quality of life in America as part of its provocative new U.S. Uncovered series, Portfolio.com, a national business news site for small and mid-sized business executives, Wednesday revealed a companion study on the best mid-sized markets. Ann Arbor and Holland were near the top of the list.

The study compared 109 medium-sized markets with populations between 250,000 and 750,000 in 20 statistical categories. Markets given the highest scores have healthy economies, moderate costs of living, light traffic, impressive housing stocks and high-powered educational systems.

"This companion study of best mid-sized places to live can serve as a resource for those who are trying to start a business in new territories by identifying the categories that define the best qualities of living," said J. Jennings Moss, editor of Portfolio.com.

Topping the Portfolio.com mid-sized market quality-of-life list was Boulder, Colo. located 25 miles northwest of Denver, which, on the earlier study of large markets, ranked as the No. 6 area with the best quality of life.

Michigan's Holland area came in sixth on the list, and Ann Arbor came in eighth.

On the opposite end of the study, medium-sized markets in Sunbelt states dominate. Markets in Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas hold the nine lowest positions. With a population of 422,000 residents, Visalia, Calif. came in last place.

"Visalia has the lowest percentage of management and professional workers in the study, 23.9 percent, which is less than half of Boulder's 50.1 percent," Thomas said. "Visalia is also last in the share of adults with college degrees at 12.7 percent."

The top five cities with the most management and professional jobs, which tend to pay the highest salaries, are Boulder; Ann Arbor; Durham, N.C.; Gainesville, Fla.; and Madison. Those looking for short commuting times should consider Lubbock, Texas, which has the shortest at an average of 16.88 minutes. Right behind Lubbock is Lincoln, Neb.; Wichita, Kan.; Erie, Pa. and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Portfolio.com, relaunched in December, is part of American City Business Journals, a unit of Advance Publications Inc., which also operates Condé Nast Magazines, Parade magazine, Fairchild Publications, the Golf Digest companies, Newhouse Newspapers and cable television interests.

More at www.portfolio.com.

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