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

In this unique reference, every one of America’s 379 metropolitan areas is rated by factors that are important to anyone considering a move. Divided into nine thoroughly researched main topics, this guide derives its information as much from private sources as government sources, providing a well-rounded description of all that each metro area has to offer: ambience, housing, jobs, crime, transportation, education, health care, recreation, and climate. With a personalized quiz to help determine the most important factors of an area, this ratings sourcebook provides a wealth of information for those looking to move and the armchair traveler alike. 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