Ames: #9 in Money's 100 Best Places to Live in U.S.

[Tornado man]

A great honor that this town deserves. Ames is one of only two college towns in the top ten; the rest are suburbs.

Also: Iowa City #68, West DM #75

ISU is fortunate that it is located in a town like Ames.


Ames Tribune > Ames Tribune > News


Best Places to Live 2010 - Top 100: 1-25 - from MONEY Magazine

 

[IcSyU]

I'd say its the other way around. Ames is fortunate Iowa State is here. Ames is Boone without Iowa State.

 

[alarson]

I'd say its the other way around. Ames is fortunate Iowa State is here. Ames is Boone without Iowa State.

+1

 

[Tornado man]

I'd say its the other way around. Ames is fortunate Iowa State is here. Ames is Boone without Iowa State.

Well, I'm sure you'll agree that there are lots of great universities around, some even better than ISU.
Yet, the closest Big 12/Big Ten university town that's ranked is Ann Arbor, way down there at #46.
That kinda tells me that just "being the home of ISU" wasn't enough reason to get ranked this high...

 

[JD720]

The Twin Cities suburbs are well represented. 5 in the top 20.

 

[alarson]

IMHO, id put WDM above Ames, having lived in both. The anti-growth element of ames, combined with the extremely haphazard development and poor city planning of Ames really are big negatives. The whole stretch from grand to duff on lincoln and from lincoln to 30 on duff is a mess.

(dont even get me started on the difference in quality of snow removal in the 2 cities)

edit: after reading the bit on ames, i had to laugh a bit at the 'bustling shopping district'

 

[JY07]

i love the # restaurants within 15 miles compared to the average

 

[edr247]

Eden Prairie #1...why am I not surprised. Damn snobs.

 

[IcSyU]

A bustling shopping district? WTF?

 

[ICclone23]

I'd say its the other way around. Ames is fortunate Iowa State is here. Ames is Boone without Iowa State.

I agree on the whole, but this is an exaggeration. Ames has other job sources/industry without ISU. Mcfarland clinic is a 200 physician operations creating nearly 2 thousand jobs, not to mention Barilla, Sauer Danfoss etc.

 

[ICclone23]

A bustling shopping district? WTF?

That one I agree is a great stretch.

 

[Chipper]

These thigs are becoming more about which Chamber of Commerces are able to submit applications on time. Not a fan of Ames.

 

[chewbocka]

I'm more shocked at the average price of real estate. I always thought Ames was high, especially for Iowa, but after seeing this I don't feel so bad.

1. Eden Prairie, MN $430,710
2. Columbia-Ellicott City, MD $487,602
3. Newton, MA $989,445
4. Bellevue, WA $801,423
5. McKinney, TX $267,661
6. Fort Collins, CO $271,950
7. Overland Park, KS $308,235
8. Fishers, IN $282,482
9. Ames, IA $189,657
10. Rogers, AR $269,229

 

[ribsnwhiskey]

These thigs are becoming more about which Chamber of Commerces are able to submit applications on time. Not a fan of Ames.

You realize how stupid your comment is? Don't you think a proactive chamber of commerce is helpful in making a city a good place to live, Chipper?

Since you don't list where you live, I'm gonna assume its either a small, redneck town in Iowa, or a place like Chicago which is full of ******** like you, so you fit right in. :smile:

 

[jamesfnb]

Ames is a nice community and I enjoyed college there. But, NO WAY would I chose to live in Ames before many Twin Cities or Des Moines suburbs.

 

[Chipper]

You realize how stupid your comment is? Don't you think a proactive chamber of commerce is helpful in making a city a good place to live, Chipper?

Since you don't list where you live, I'm gonna assume its either a small, redneck town in Iowa, or a place like Chicago which is full of ******** like you, so you fit right in. :smile:

Granger. I choose to commute to Ames because I prefer to be closer to Des Moines proper. Congratulations on the city council seat though.

 

[Ames]

These thigs are becoming more about which Chamber of Commerces are able to submit applications on time. Not a fan of Ames.

I don't believe that it's a bought or bad survey. Ames doesn't have the money to throw around like many of the cities on the list.

Even if we go along with what you are saying at least 100 other Chambers got applications in on time and Ames was among the best of them.

 

[Ames]

Granger. I choose to commute to Ames because I prefer to be closer to Des Moines proper. Congratulations on the city council seat though.

So Granger is better than Ames? I'm going to have to side with Money Magazine on this one...

 

[ajk4st8]

You could not pay me to live in Ames.

Cedar Falls >>>>>>>>>>> Ames.

 

[CTTB78]

The Twin Cities has five suburbs in the top 20? Twin Cities are nice (lived there for 10 years) but for one area to grab 25% of the 20 top places to live in this country makes you wonder if the writer is from Minnesota.