Money's list of America's best small cities


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21. Highlands Ranch, CO
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Highlands Ranch
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 21
Population: 95,900
Compare Highlands Ranch to Top 10 Best Places
For some of the best outdoor stuff Colorado has to offer, check out Highlands Ranch, a planned community 18 miles from Denver. Residents can take their pick of four state-of-the-art recreation centers, two golf courses, or two dozen parks. Or visit the 22,200-square-foot Highlands Ranch Mansion, once home to oilmen and cattle barons. The community is not, by and large, walkable, but that hasn't slowed population growth. A wealth of housing options helps; with prices ranging from $200,000 to over $1 million, newcomers can buy their first home or their dream home. --L.G.
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Highlands Ranch stats
  City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$117,523 $96,825
Job growth %
(2000-2011)*
28.39% 25.01%
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Median home price $295,000 $269,768
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
34.1% 28.2%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
43.0% 29.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 23 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 183 20
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
3,618 3,134
High temp in July ° F 87.7° 86.8°
Low temp in Jan ° F 14.3° 18.4°
Median age 34.9 35.2
Financial City stats Best places avg.
Median family income
(per year)
$117,523 $96,825
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$111,820 $93,218
State sales tax 2.90% 5.57%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)
4.63%I 7.31%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)
4.63%I 3.08%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)
$1,508 $1,596
Job growth %
(2000-2011)*
28.39% 25.01%
See jobs near Highlands Ranch
Housing
Median home price $295,000 $269,768
Average property taxes N.A. $6,517
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Education
Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)
26 8
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)
34.1% 28.2%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)
43.0% 29.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)
92.1/7.9 91.5/8.5
Quality of life
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)
65.9% 77.3%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 23 2
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 183 20
Median commute time (in minutes) 23.9 22.2
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer
16.6% 14.9%
% population walk or bike to work 1.1% 3.2%
Leisure and culture
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)
43 33
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)
3,618 3,134
Bars
(within 15 miles)
314 199
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)
132 169
Libraries
(within 15 miles)
76 70
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)
5 10
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) 11 6
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 0.5 1.4
Weather
Annual rainfall
(inches)
18.06 34.21
% clear days in the area 32 32
High temp in July ° F 87.7° 86.8°
Low temp in Jan ° F 14.3° 18.4°
Median age 34.9 35.2
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)
86.5% 72.6%
Married % 73.8% 57.9%
Divorced % 6.3% 8.0%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
40.0 118.4
From the September 2012 issue
Notes: *County data

Due to an error by our data provider, an earlier version listed incorrect stats for this city's number of colleges.
(3) Crime incidences are estimates based on FBI 2011 Universal Crime and incidence reports, OnBoard analysis.

(I) Income tax notes:
These states use the personal exemption amounts provided in the federal Internal Revenue Code.

(II) Sales tax notes:
Most of Aurora is located within Arapahoe County and is subject to an 8 percent sales tax. However, part of the city lies in Adams County and is subject to a total rate of 8.5 percent.
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