Post by doctorwho on Jul 13, 2010 8:44:31 GMT -6
Two sets of neighbors make Money's best places to live list
Bolingbrook/Naperville and Arlington Hts./Mt. Prospect ranked among 100 best small cities
By Justin Kmitch and Sheila Ahern | Daily Herald StaffContact writer
Mayor Roger Claar credits the addition of The Promenade Bolingbrook with helping boost his village's rating in a Money Magazine listing of America's best small cities.
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=393590&src=76
Bev Horne/April 2007
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(29) | read | postBuzz up! Four towns in Illinois - all suburbs - were named to Money Magazine's annual list of America's 100 best small cities. And two sets of them are next-door neighbors.
Bolingbrook made the list for the first time, finishing several spots ahead of neighboring Naperville.
Just a bit further down the pack were the door-to-door communities of Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect.
Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar said the village's 43rd-place ranking was a proper reward for years of hard work.
"This announcement made my day. It made my week ... it even made my quarter. What else can I say?" Claar said Monday. "It's an unsolicited third-party review of what we have to offer while trying to put together a well-balanced community with lots of different offerings."
Naperville Mayor George Pradel, whose city was ranked second in 2006 and third in 2005 and 2008, called the annual list "routine" and "generic" after his city came in 54th this time around. Pradel said he thinks the city got "hit hard" on its 6.45 percent job growth and $330,000 median housing value.
"It's one of those things where we can't always be on top, so we pull up our bootstraps and get back to work," Pradel said. "If people were to look at this and decide they shouldn't invest or move into Naperville, then this too shall pass. I happen to believe we're a very progressive city."
The magazine mentions "American Idol" winner Lee DeWyze in ranking 56th his hometown of Mount Prospect, even though he moved to Los Angeles a year ago. Even Arlington Heights, ranked 59th, basks in some of DeWyze's reflected glory.
"A lot of people who live in Arlington Heights grew up in Mount Prospect, and some people who grew up in Arlington Heights live in Mount Prospect," said Arlington Heights Village President Arlene Mulder. "We share a high school. We shared Lee DeWyze Day."
Added Mount Prospect Mayor Irvana Wilks, "I don't exactly know how Lee fit into all this, but to this day, I still receive kudos from people about the party we threw on the Village Green. It all adds up to the kind of community we are. We're honored to be on the list."
Money Magazine chose its best places list from among the 746 U.S. cities with populations between 50,000 and 300,000. It excluded 191 places where the median family income is more than 200 percent or less than 85 percent of the state median and those that are more than 95 percent white.
The list then was whittled down to 322 after eliminating retirement communities, towns with significant job loss, and those with poor education and significant crime. Remaining places were ranked based on housing affordability, school quality, arts and leisure, safety, health care, diversity and several ease-of-living criteria. The top 100 were selected after factoring in additional data on the economy, jobs, housing and schools. The top 30 were then visited to look at things ranging from traffic to parks to community spirit.
Eden Prairie, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis, was the top city on the list.
Bolingbrook's Claar said he believes the village's median age of 29 keeps the diverse village "young and lively." He also credits the overall success of The Promenade Bolingbrook shopping center and the village's industrial park with boosting its rating.
"I'm just tickled to be the state's top community on the list because there are those who thought it would never happen," Claar said. "I'm meeting with some potential new major businesses and I'll certainly start off the conversation with that independent review from Money Magazine."
Pradel, meanwhile, credited Claar for doing a good job "of managing his city." But he also gave a hint that Naperville won't settle for being second fiddle to Bolingbrook.
"Just don't take your eyes off us because all of a sudden we'll jump and get pushed up there again," Pradel said. "Maybe we needed a push to get us motivated and let people know we are hurting like anyone else, but we need to stick together and make it happen and buy Naperville."
In 2008, businessweek.com named Mount Prospect the top village in their "Best Places in America to Raise Kids." That ranking came in handy during tough economic times, Wilks said.
"I know real estate agents talk about that list when they're selling homes," she said. "Our schools use it and our park district uses it. It was a real blessing when the economy was so down."
Bolingbrook/Naperville and Arlington Hts./Mt. Prospect ranked among 100 best small cities
By Justin Kmitch and Sheila Ahern | Daily Herald StaffContact writer
Mayor Roger Claar credits the addition of The Promenade Bolingbrook with helping boost his village's rating in a Money Magazine listing of America's best small cities.
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=393590&src=76
Bev Horne/April 2007
1 of 1 Browse All Image Galleries Published: 7/13/2010 12:00 AM.Send To:
E-mail: To: From:
Name: E-mail: Comments:
.
(29) | read | postBuzz up! Four towns in Illinois - all suburbs - were named to Money Magazine's annual list of America's 100 best small cities. And two sets of them are next-door neighbors.
Bolingbrook made the list for the first time, finishing several spots ahead of neighboring Naperville.
Just a bit further down the pack were the door-to-door communities of Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect.
Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar said the village's 43rd-place ranking was a proper reward for years of hard work.
"This announcement made my day. It made my week ... it even made my quarter. What else can I say?" Claar said Monday. "It's an unsolicited third-party review of what we have to offer while trying to put together a well-balanced community with lots of different offerings."
Naperville Mayor George Pradel, whose city was ranked second in 2006 and third in 2005 and 2008, called the annual list "routine" and "generic" after his city came in 54th this time around. Pradel said he thinks the city got "hit hard" on its 6.45 percent job growth and $330,000 median housing value.
"It's one of those things where we can't always be on top, so we pull up our bootstraps and get back to work," Pradel said. "If people were to look at this and decide they shouldn't invest or move into Naperville, then this too shall pass. I happen to believe we're a very progressive city."
The magazine mentions "American Idol" winner Lee DeWyze in ranking 56th his hometown of Mount Prospect, even though he moved to Los Angeles a year ago. Even Arlington Heights, ranked 59th, basks in some of DeWyze's reflected glory.
"A lot of people who live in Arlington Heights grew up in Mount Prospect, and some people who grew up in Arlington Heights live in Mount Prospect," said Arlington Heights Village President Arlene Mulder. "We share a high school. We shared Lee DeWyze Day."
Added Mount Prospect Mayor Irvana Wilks, "I don't exactly know how Lee fit into all this, but to this day, I still receive kudos from people about the party we threw on the Village Green. It all adds up to the kind of community we are. We're honored to be on the list."
Money Magazine chose its best places list from among the 746 U.S. cities with populations between 50,000 and 300,000. It excluded 191 places where the median family income is more than 200 percent or less than 85 percent of the state median and those that are more than 95 percent white.
The list then was whittled down to 322 after eliminating retirement communities, towns with significant job loss, and those with poor education and significant crime. Remaining places were ranked based on housing affordability, school quality, arts and leisure, safety, health care, diversity and several ease-of-living criteria. The top 100 were selected after factoring in additional data on the economy, jobs, housing and schools. The top 30 were then visited to look at things ranging from traffic to parks to community spirit.
Eden Prairie, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis, was the top city on the list.
Bolingbrook's Claar said he believes the village's median age of 29 keeps the diverse village "young and lively." He also credits the overall success of The Promenade Bolingbrook shopping center and the village's industrial park with boosting its rating.
"I'm just tickled to be the state's top community on the list because there are those who thought it would never happen," Claar said. "I'm meeting with some potential new major businesses and I'll certainly start off the conversation with that independent review from Money Magazine."
Pradel, meanwhile, credited Claar for doing a good job "of managing his city." But he also gave a hint that Naperville won't settle for being second fiddle to Bolingbrook.
"Just don't take your eyes off us because all of a sudden we'll jump and get pushed up there again," Pradel said. "Maybe we needed a push to get us motivated and let people know we are hurting like anyone else, but we need to stick together and make it happen and buy Naperville."
In 2008, businessweek.com named Mount Prospect the top village in their "Best Places in America to Raise Kids." That ranking came in handy during tough economic times, Wilks said.
"I know real estate agents talk about that list when they're selling homes," she said. "Our schools use it and our park district uses it. It was a real blessing when the economy was so down."