Best places to live 2005
Best places to live 2005 See the winners Search for best places Top 10 lists
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How we chose the best places
Chicago, IL
Population, town and surrounding area: 2,872,301
Financial City Stats Best places
average
Median household income
(per year)
$43,373 $68,053
Sales tax 8.71% 6.77%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)
3.00%* n/a
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)
3.00%* n/a
Auto insurance premiums
(Average for the state)
$722 $855
Housing City Stats Best places
average
Median home price $238,567 $315,351
Home price gain
(2-5 year gain)
12.16% 14.88%
Education City Stats Best places
average
Colleges, universities and
professional schools
82 32
Junior colleges and technical institutes 36 15
Student to teacher ratio
(grade schools)
16.40 15.37
Quality of life City Stats Best places
average
Air pollution index
(100 is national average; lower is better)
110 90
Personal crime risk
(100 is national average; lower is better)
358 69
Property crime risk
(100 is national average; lower is better)
173 78
Leisure and culture City Stats Best places
average
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)
95 27
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
15,716 3,738
Bars
(within 15 miles)
1,748 267
Golf courses
(public courses; within 30 miles)
262 72
Libraries
(within 15 miles)
250 60
Museums
(accredited by AAM; within 30 miles)
17 10
Weather City Stats Best places
average
Annual precipitation (inches) 37.61 37.80
High temp in July ° F 84.20° 86.11°
Low temp in Jan ° F 16.90° 26.60°
*Flat Rate.
Average is based only on data for more than 1,300 cities in the Best Places database. Included are cities with population of more than 14,000 with above-average income, population growth and real estate appreciation during the past five years. The data represent the zip codes associated with the town name. The listed populations often include areas outside an incorporated municipality. For instance, the town of Vienna has a population of 14,900, but 61,700 residents have a Vienna postal address.
If you believe the data on this page is inaccurate, please email us.
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Some data may be provided by Applied Geographic Solutions
Nearby places:
• Cicero, IL
• Berwyn, IL
• Riverside, IL
• La Grange, IL
• Hinsdale, IL
• Elmhurst, IL
• Willowbrook, IL
• Evanston, IL
• Park Ridge, IL
• Westmont, IL
Top 10s
Biggest earnersBiggest earners
HottestHottest
ColdestColdest
SafestSafest
Most educatedMost educated
Priciest homesPriciest homes
Fastest jobs growthFastest jobs growth
Most golf coursesMost golf courses
Least pollutedLeast polluted
Lowest commute timeLowest commute time

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