Places Rated Almanac: The Classic Guide for Finding Your Best Places to Live in America 7th ed (2007)

Table of Contents......Page 4
INTRODUCTION......Page 12
SIDEBAR: Regions......Page 13
SIDEBAR: Population Size......Page 14
Metropolitan Areas......Page 15
The 379 Metropolitan Areas......Page 16
MAP: The 379 Metropolitan Areas......Page 18
DECISIONS, DECISIONS......Page 34
Rating Places: Your Way......Page 35
Your Preference Inventory......Page 36
Preference Inventory Charts......Page 39
A Stab at Ambience......Page 44
People......Page 46
SIDEBAR: Searching for Normal People......Page 47
Place Profiles: Ambience......Page 48
MAP: Ambience: Big Losers......Page 111
MAP: Ambience: Small Winners......Page 112
Life Stage Shelter Strategies......Page 114
MAP: Where To Buy......Page 115
SIDEBAR: One Sign of a Bargain Rental Market......Page 116
Home Energy Requirements......Page 117
MAP: Where Not To Buy......Page 118
Judging: Housing......Page 119
Place Profiles: Housing......Page 120
A Geography of New Home Features......Page 157
A Renter’s Miscellany......Page 158
Nuclear Hot Spots: A Nationwide Locator......Page 159
MAP: US Nuclear Power Plants......Page 161
Where Will the New Work Be?......Page 164
Blue-Collar Blues......Page 165
SIDEBAR: ...And a Million Steps Back......Page 166
... And A White-Collar Chorus......Page 167
Judging: Jobs......Page 168
Place Profiles: Jobs......Page 169
Legal Holidays......Page 196
TABLE: Unemployment Benefi ts and Minimum Wage......Page 197
MAP: Good Economy, Not So Good Climate......Page 198
The Fortune 500......Page 200
SIDEBAR: Top Fortune Metros......Page 202
CRIME......Page 208
Crime Risk: Several Connections......Page 209
GRAPHIC: The Crime Clock......Page 210
Crime Indexes......Page 211
SIDEBAR: Neighborhood Crime Watches......Page 213
Scoring: Crime......Page 214
Place Profiles: Crime......Page 216
Drunk Driving......Page 224
Handguns......Page 225
TABLE: Happy Hour Prohibitions......Page 226
TABLE: Regional Crime Rates......Page 227
TRANSPORTATION......Page 228
Public Transit......Page 229
SIDEBAR: Light Rail: A Desire Named Streetcar......Page 230
Airports......Page 231
SIDEBAR: Decoding the Interstate......Page 232
Place Profiles: Transportation......Page 233
SIDEBAR: Hubs and Hubs......Page 234
Riding Amtrak’s Rails......Page 277
MAP: Amtrak’s Surviving Routes......Page 278
SIDEBAR: Trains to Planes......Page 279
Driver Licensing......Page 280
TABLE: After You Move Deadlines......Page 281
SIDEBAR: The Interstate System: A Route Log and Finder List......Page 282
Finding Your Way on the Interstate......Page 283
Public Schools......Page 290
SIDEBAR: America’s 70 Largest School Districts......Page 291
Private Schools......Page 293
SIDEBAR: America’s 15 Largest Private Institutions......Page 294
Colleges and Universities......Page 295
Scoring: Education......Page 296
Place Profiles: Education......Page 297
TABLE: SAT Scores By State......Page 370
Outstanding Secondary Schools, 1996–2006......Page 371
TABLE: Requirements to Homeschool......Page 380
What The Numbers Say......Page 382
The Doctors......Page 383
MAP: Health Care Bargains......Page 384
SIDEBAR: Hospital Services......Page 385
The Hospital......Page 386
Scoring: Health Care......Page 387
Place Profiles: Health Care......Page 389
Finding the Right Doctor......Page 422
TABLE: Risky Business: How Healthy Is Your Lifestyle?......Page 423
SIDEBAR: Adult Exam Schedule......Page 424
Immunization......Page 425
TABLE: Recommended Immunization Schedule......Page 426
Common Denominators......Page 428
MAP: Fifteen Golf Hot Spots......Page 429
Crowd Pleasers......Page 430
Outdoor Recreation Assets......Page 432
Judging: Recreation......Page 433
Place Profiles: Recreation......Page 434
TABLE: Legalized Gambling By State......Page 490
Major League Title Towns......Page 491
SIDEBAR: Baseball’s Odyssey......Page 492
SIDEBAR: Hockey’s Odyssey......Page 493
SIDEBAR: Basketball’s Odyssey......Page 494
Professional Championships in the Metro Areas......Page 495
SIDEBAR: Football’s Odyssey......Page 496
NCAA Division I Champions by Metro Area......Page 498
SIDEBAR: Timeline: NCAA FirstChampionships......Page 499
CLIMATE......Page 506
The Difference Is Geophysical......Page 507
SIDEBAR: Life at the Top......Page 508
SIDEBAR: Most Hazardous......Page 509
SIDEBAR: Great Winter Homes......Page 510
379 Place Thumbnails: Climate......Page 511
Climate Divisions......Page 530
A Century Forecast......Page 575
Those Digital Bank Clocks Are Wrong......Page 576
MAP: Relative Humidity Regions of the United States......Page 577
Natural Hazards......Page 578
MAP: Tornado and Hurricane Regions of the United States......Page 579
MAP: Earthquake Regions of the United States......Page 580
MAP: Weather Extremes of the United States and Canada......Page 581
North American Weather Extremes......Page 582
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER......Page 586
Finding the Best Places in America......Page 587
A Big Pond or a Small One?......Page 588
Scores: Putting It All Together......Page 589
APPENDIX A: METROPOLITAN AREAS BY STATE......Page 598
Median Age......Page 602
Education Attainment Index......Page 603
APPENDIX C: METROPOLITAN AREA PLACE FINDER......Page 612
INDEX......Page 656