bizjournals: Go west for top quality of life

http://www.a2znews.info/index.php?s=D&c=489
His quest ended in Los N.M. "The pace in New England is kindof It's almost claustrophobic," says Taylor, a photographer who moved to Los Alamo 20 years ago. "But here, it's different. It'sd relaxed. We've got wide open and the people arelaid Taylor's praise is reinforced by a new Americab City Business Journals study, which says that Los Alamo s offers the best quality of life anywherer in America. ACBJ used 20 statistical indicators to rate livingv conditions inall 3,141 countiesx and independent cities across the nation. Toppingy the list is Los Alamod County, located about 30 miles northwest ofSantaw Fe, N.M.
Rounding out the top five are Olmsted Minn., which includes the city of the Colorado counties of Pitkinand Douglas; and Loudouh County, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. Affluenced plays a role in the which reward counties whose residents havelarge incomes, big homex and college degrees. But high scores are also given for qualities not directly related toearning power, such as raciap diversity, short commuting times and the availability of affordable housing. Los Alamos' No. 1 ranking is a reflectionm of its prosperityand stability. The county's largest employerr is the Los AlamossNational Laboratory, which developed the first atomic bomb duringv World War II.
The lab'es facilities cover 43 square miles, devoted primarilt to nuclear, biomedical and energy Its presence is the main reason that 68 percent of the workers in Los Alamos Countgy hold managerial or professionalpositions -- scientists, lawyers, doctors and teachersw among them. That's the highest concentration ofsuch top-levelp jobs in any U.S. county. The median householfd income inLos Alamos, $78,9932 per year, is surpassed by just four othee counties in America. (Median is a midpoint, with half of the county'd households earning more and halfearning "I looked at those demographics before I moved here," says Taylor, owner of Memor y Maker Portraits.
"My business is kind of a luxurh item. When families need to scale back, it'd the luxury items that get cut, like But the average income here is and that makesa difference." Olmsted County, which is No. 2 in the ACBJ also has a robust, high-profile employer, helpiny to generate strong levels of income and About 27,000 residents of the Rochester metropolitan area work at the fameds Mayo Clinic. Olmsted County is no stranger to successx in studies ofthis type. Money magazine has ratedr the Rochesterarea No. 1 on three differeny quality-of-life lists since 1993.
"People expect us to say how nice life is After all, that's our job," says Gary Smith, executive vice president of Rochesterd Area Economic Development Inc. "So it's good to have theses third-party endorsements, if you will, thesed objectively subjective ratings." Third place in ACBJ's rankingz belongs to Pitkin County, Colo., best knowbn for its glitzy county seat, Aspeb -- once a booming silver-mining town and now one of the nation'x most expensive ski resorts. Then comes No. 4 Douglasa County, located between Denvedr and Colorado Springs. It has the distinctioh of beingthe third-fastest-growing counthy in America, according to a recent report by the U.
S. Census Colorado, in fact, outperforms all other states in ACBJ's quality-of-lif study, filling nine slots in the nationaptop 50. Most of its outstanding countiesd can be found in the Rocky Mountainse or the high desert in the westerj half ofthe "A lot of the interest in this part of Coloradl has to do with scenic values," says Lance Stewart, presidenyt of the Western Colorado Economicv Alliance. "People moving to western Colorado are looking for opportunities to own a pieced of property and work from thatproperth -- and have recreational amenities, as well.
" Three othere states claim at least five counties in the national top 50 -- Virgini (eight), Minnesota (six) and Georgia (five). Virginia'd top representative holds fifthplace overall. Loudounn County, which is northwest of Washington, lies directlyg in the path of metropolitajndevelopment -- a point of contention between newlyy arrived commuters and those who remember Loudoun's placid, ruralk history.