Chanhassen ranked as No. 2 small town to live in

Article by: ALEX EBERT , Star Tribune
Updated: July 13, 2009 - 3:19 PM

Money magazine's ranking of the top 100 small towns to live in includes three other Minnesota cities.

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Chanhassen is the second best small American town to live in, according to a new ranking by Money magazine.

Reasons for the ranking include an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, falling property taxes and rising median income, according to the magazine.

“It’s a little humbling,” said Chanhassen Mayor Tom Furlong. “And we are proud of what we have, absolutely.”

Furlong said the town deserves the honor, given its quality of living, the level of education among residents, and recreational availability .

Chanhassen boasts miles of trails, 11 lakes, and a park within a half mile of three quarters of the homes in the city. The University of Minnesota arboretum also is located in the city.

Recently, Chanhassen also joined a list of 11 other Minnesota cities on the S&P AAA bond list, signifying its strong economy, City Manager Todd Gerhardt said. That is the best rating, meaning the city is highly unlikely to default on loans and interest.

The top five on Money's top-100 small towns are: Louisville, Colo. (1), Papillion, Neb. (3), Middleton, Wis. (4), and Milton, Mass. (5).

Three other Minnesota cities made the list. Chanhassen's neighbor -- Chaska -- was ranked 20th, Lino Lakes was ranked 36th, and Owatonna sneaked in at 97th.

Last year, Plymouth was ranked number one on the list, but it was excluded from consideration this year because of changes in the criteria. There was a switch from the 2008 criteria, when a “small city” was defined as having a population between, 50,000 and 300,000, according to the CNN Money website. For the 2009 rankings, Money focused on "small towns," defined as having a population between 8,500 and 50,000. Plymouth's population exceeds 50,000.

Read the full report at the CNN Money website.