WASHINGTON — Two Maryland communities and one in Virginia make the top 10 of MONEY magazine’s list of the best places to live.
Columbia, Maryland, and Ellicott City, Maryland, together take the No. 6 ranking on the list, and Reston, Virginia, comes in at No. 10.
In its annual look at the best places to live, MONEY checked out the nation’s top small cities with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.
Reporters looked at 50 factors, including the economy, housing market schools and health care. MONEY started with 781 places and narrowed the list from there. MONEY excluded “places with a median family income of more than 210% of the state average or a median home price of $1 million or more.”
MONEY says in coming up with the top 10: “Our reporters then visit 35 of the top ranking places to choose a top 10 that not only look good on paper, but also have happy residents, manageable traffic, attractive parks and gathering places, plus intangibles like community spirit.”
McKinney, Texas, took the nation’s top slot, while Carmel, Indiana, and Castle Rock, Colorado, came in No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
About Ellicott City and Columbia, MONEY said, “Though the two unincorporated places have their own unique feel, they function as a single city in many respects.”
MONEY cited jobs in the Howard County area.
“The area is also rife with good jobs — many of which require only a short commute,” MONEY reports.
Both Columbia in Maryland and Reston in Virginia are planned communities. With Reston, one of the aspects MONEY cites is the community’s walkability.
“Fifty-five miles of paths wind through these communities, ensuring that most homes are within a half-mile walk of a village center,” MONEY reports.
While acknowledging the D.C. area’s brutal traffic, MONEY cites the extension of Metro this summer as part of its reason in selecting Reston.
Other small area cities on the list: Rockville, Maryland, at No. 24: Bowie, Maryland, at No. 28; and Dale City, Virginia, at No. 37.
Next year, MONEY said it will focus on small towns.
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