Posted on 08/26/2006 9:29:55 AM PDT by fight_truth_decay
CNNMONEY.COM
And the winners are...
Americans are flocking to places that offer big-city opportunities and amenities -- with a lot more green space and a lot less stress. See the top 10 Great American Towns.
1. Fort Collins, CO
2. Naperville, IL
3. Sugar Land, TX
4. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD
5. Cary, NC 10. Eden Prairie, MN
6. Overland Park, KS
7. Scottsdale, AZ
8. Boise, ID
9. Fairfield, CT
10. Eden Prairie, MN
What do you think is the best place to live?
Fort Collins, CO
Naperville, IL
Sugar Land, TX
Columbia/Ellicott City, MD
My hometown
None of these
[CNNMONEY MUST BE EXCERPTED]
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Example, related to city/state above:
COLORADO State Sales Tax: 2.9% (food and prescription drugs exempt); many cities and counties have their own rates which are added to the state rate. Total could be as high as 9.9%. Gasoline Tax: 22 cents/gallon Diesel Fuel Tax: 20.5 cents/gallon Gasohol Tax: 22 cents/gallon Cigarette Tax: 84 cents/pack of 20
ILLINOIS State Sales Tax: 6.25% (1% on qualifying food, prescription & non-prescription drugs, medical appliances). Local government taxes can raise the total to a high of 8.5%. Gasoline Tax: * 36.2 cents/gallon Diesel Fuel Tax: 36.6 cents/gallon Gasohol Tax: 36.2 cents/gallon Cigarette Tax: 98 cents/pack of 20
TEXAS State Sales Tax: 6.25% (food, prescription and non-prescription drugs exempt); local option taxes can raise the rate to 8.25%. Gasoline Tax: 20 cents/gallon Diesel Fuel Tax: 20 cents/gallon Gasohol Tax: 20 cents/gallon Cigarette Tax: 41 cents/pack of 20 No state personal income tax Retirement Income: Not taxed.
MARYLAND State Sales Tax: 5.0% (food, prescription and non-prescription drugs exempt) Gasoline Tax: 23.5 cents/gallon Diesel Fuel Tax: 24.3 cents/gallon Gasohol Tax: 23.5 cents/gallon Cigarette Tax: $1.00/pack of 20
MINNESOTA State Sales Tax: 6.5% (food, clothing, prescription and non-prescription drugs exempt); Liquor and beer taxed at 9%. A few cities and counties also add a sales tax which can be as high as 1.0%. Gasoline Tax: 22 cents/gallon Diesel Fuel Tax: 22 cents/gallon Gasohol Tax: 22 cents/gallon Cigarette Tax: $1.23/pack of 20
KANSAS State Sales Tax: 5.3% (prescription drugs exempt); Cities and counties may add another 3%. Gasoline Tax: 25 cents/gallon Diesel Fuel Tax: 27 cents/gallon Gasohol Tax: 25 cents/gallon Cigarette Tax: 79 cents/pack of 20
ARIZONA State Sales Tax: 5.6% (food and prescription drugs exempt). All counties and some cities levy a sales tax that could bring the combined tax rate to 10.7%. Gasoline Tax: 19 cents/gallon Diesel Fuel Tax: 19 cents/gallon Gasohol Tax: 19 cents/gallon Cigarette Tax: $1.18/pack of 20 Water Use Tax: 65 cents per 1,000 gallons of water used.
IDAHO State Sales Tax: 5% (prescription drugs exempt); Some jurisdictions impose a local option sales tax which could add an additional 3%. Gasoline Tax: 25 cents/gallon Diesel Fuel Tax: 25 cents/gallon Gasohol Tax: 22.5 cents/gallon Cigarette Tax: 57 cents/pack of 20
CONNECTICUT State Sales Tax: 6% (food, prescription & non-prescription drugs exempt); cigarette tax is $1.51 (package of 20) and $1.89 (package of 25). No additional sales tax is imposed by local jurisdictions. Gasoline Tax: 35.5 cents/gallon Diesel Fuel Tax: 36.5 cents/gallon Gasohol Tax: 34.5 cents/gallon Cigarette Tax: $1.51/pack of 20.
States Ranked by Total State Taxes and Per Capita Amount: 2005
1. What do you think is the best place to live?
Fort Collins, CO 16%
Naperville, IL 10%
Sugar Land, TX 11%
Columbia/Ellicott City, MD 8%
My hometown 31%
None of these 24%
total responses to this question: 11324
The only time I was in Ft. Collins, CO was Rush's DAN'S BAKE SALE back in 1992. It seemed like a really nice place to live back then.
Lots of McMansion 4-lane communities on this list.
Naperville, for instance, is my idea of hell ... gaudy houses for people who work 60 hour weeks and commute an hour and a half to Chicago every day...no yards, can't go to the grocery store without waiting in traffic.
Just don't come to WV. Awful place to live. You wouldn't like it.
Columbia, MD, used to be a great place to live, if you don't mind hot & humid summers. The cost of living is going up fast, though. Traffic on arterials is getting very heavy during commute times, as more and more people buy new houses in outlying areas.
Distance not the problem, just getting out of Naperville and backups..at least the option of the train. Big homes, small lots, and yes CONGESTION..
Homes in the Midwest do not, for the most part, reek a good profit in a short time upon selling like the Coasts. Could take up to 15 years to make the profit compared to a few years on both coasts.
New starts in housing make plenty for the demand..hurt resale. However, there's always the little Naperville, Downers Grove, Oakbrook etc "teardown" replaced by a MegaHome.
Utah is off the list finally. Good. It's a terrible place. Don't flock here. Don't visit. Just go away.
Glad to see New Mexico did not make this list. Terrible place to live. Everthing living here has sharp spines, teeth, thorns, or is poisonous. If this does not deter you from coming here, we have a Democrat for governor. He has a pointed head.
I went through there on the way to Denver last year. It's grown drastically since the mid-90s.
The people who make up this list are from huge cities and so see medium size cities like Boise and Ft Collins as "small". It all depends on what you're used to. There are people who think that going to Jackson Hole, Wy or Park City, Ut is "roughing it".
Myself, I'd prefer Laramie.. or Sheridan.
LOL
I hear ya!
I live in Ellicott City, MD and trust me--it is NOT one of the best places to live. It's infested with liberals and rude rich people. Figures CNN picked it.
and, when you get finished not going to WV, don't come to Alaska. We just had two solid weeks of rain. Ugly, awful place full of grouchy sourdoughs and mean sled dogs, icky old mountains and yuccky fish and game. Awful place, just awful...
Sugarland TX !?! As a former Houstonian I am LMAO.
I lived in Fort Collins for two years ending this May. Gorgeous place, friendly people - the perfect college town, for me. Would have been happy to settle there for a long time.
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