Huntsville Rockets to Top Of 'Best Place To Live' List
Job growth and a diverse economy helped launch Huntsville Alabama, nicknamed the "Rocket City," to the top of RelocateAmerica.com's annual list of best places to live. Read what Market Watch has to say about our beloved city:Huntsville is home to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the town boasts unemployment well below the national average, according to the RelocateAmerica.com Web site, which released its list Tuesday.
Huntsville is home to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the town boasts unemployment well below the national average, according to the RelocateAmerica.com Web site, which released its list Tuesday.
The city also ranked No. 1 on the site's list of "Top 10 Recovery Cities," those poised for a swift economic rebound or already experiencing growth.
View all the RelocateAmerica.com lists.
"[Huntsville has] benefited from having a diverse economy, specifically within defense, aerospace and life sciences," said Peter Meyers, vice president of research and content development at RelocateAmerica.com. It also ranked high on quality-of-life aspects, including safety and education, Meyers said.
RelocateAmerica.com is a Web site that provides online resources to people who are moving. Each year, it collects nominations for its list of 100 best cities to live. In addition to the overall list, breakout lists include the best places to retire, the most "earth-friendly" cities, the top recreation cities and the top small towns.
For the 8,000 nominations received for 2010's list, the editorial team analyzed economic, environmental, education, crime, employment and housing data of the areas, interviewed local leaders and reviewed resident feedback to come up with rankings.
The overall list is put together for consumers who are considering relocation options, with a heavy emphasis on places where there are positive job possibilities, Meyers said. But even those with no intention to move tend to peek at the results, he said.
"Even if you're happy with where you are, we're always interested in what the other options are," he said, adding that there is "a natural curiosity to know what else is going on in the U.S."