Best Places to Live
Below is the complete list of 2005 Best Places to Live. See the new and fast-growing Emerging Metropolitan Areas or profiles of the top ten.
| Rank | Metro area |
| 1 | Charlottesville, VA |
| 2 | Santa Fe, NM |
| 3 | San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA |
| 4 | Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, CA |
| 5 | Honolulu, HI |
| 6 | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 7 | Atlanta, GA |
| 8 | Asheville, NC |
| 9 | Reno, NV |
| 10 | Corvallis, OR |
| 11 | Roanoke, VA |
| 12 | Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA |
| 13 | Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
| 14 | Bryan-College Station, TX |
| 15 | Lynchburg, VA |
| 16 | Olympia, WA |
| 17 | Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA-NC |
| 18 | Colorado Springs, CO |
| 19 | Nassau-Suffolk, NY |
| 20 | Pueblo, CO |
| 21 | Eugene-Springfield, OR |
| 22 | Austin-San Marcos, TX |
| 23 | Lafayette, IN |
| 24 | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI |
| 25 | Dover, DE |
| 26 | Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV |
| 27 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR |
| 28 | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 29 | Bloomington, IN |
| 30 | Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
| 31 | State College, PA |
| 32 | Abilene, TX |
| 33 | Champaign-Urbana, IL |
| 34 | Athens, GA |
| 35 | Wichita, KS |
| 36 | Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
| 37 | Madison, WI |
| 38 | Bellingham, WA |
| 39 | Las Cruces, NM |
| 40 | New York, NY |
| 41 | Dayton-Springfield, OH |
| 42 | Bloomington-Normal, IL |
| 43 | Sarasota-Bradenton, FL |
| 44 | Bremerton, WA |
| 45 | Albuquerque, NM |
| 46 | Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, PA |
| 47 | Evansville-Henderson, IN-KY |
| 48 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
| 49 | Punta Gorda, FL |
| 50 | Columbia, SC |
| 51 | Peoria-Pekin, IL |
| 52 | Des Moines, IA |
| 53 | Naples, FL |
| 54 | Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA |
| 55 | Richmond-Petersburg, VA |
| 56 | Gainesville, FL |
| 57 | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 58 | Ocala, FL |
| 59 | Tacoma, WA |
| 60 | Denver, CO |
| 61 | Mansfield, OH |
| 62 | Grand Junction, CO |
| 63 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC |
| 64 | Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL |
| 65 | Orange County, CA |
| 66 | Daytona Beach, FL |
| 67 | New London-Norwich, CT-RI |
| 68 | Boise City, ID |
| 69 | West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL |
| 70 | Tucson, AZ |
| 71 | Boston, MA-NH-ME |
| 72 | Medford-Ashland, OR |
| 73 | Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ |
| 74 | San Diego, CA |
| 75 | Barnstable-Yarmouth, MA |
| 76 | Philadelphia, PA-NJ |
| 77 | Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA |
| 78 | Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, CA |
| 79 | Indianapolis, IN |
| 80 | Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC |
| 81 | Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC |
| 82 | Jacksonville, NC |
| 83 | Wilmington-Newark, DE-MD |
| 84 | Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT |
| 85 | Sacramento, CA |
| 86 | Goldsboro, NC |
| 87 | Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN |
| 88 | Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA |
| 89 | Greeley, CO |
| 90 | Muncie, IN |
| 91 | Lexington, KY |
| 92 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN |
| 93 | San Antonio, TX |
| 94 | Columbus, OH |
| 95 | Dallas, TX |
| 96 | Missoula, MT |
| 97 | St. Louis, MO-IL |
| 98 | Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC |
| 99 | Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR |
| 100 | Sioux Falls, SD |
| 101 | Kokomo, IN |
| 102 | Fort Wayne, IN |
| 103 | Knoxville, TN |
| 104 | Decatur, IL |
| 105 | Galveston-Texas City, TX |
| 106 | Billings, MT |
| 107 | San Francisco, CA |
| 108 | Green Bay, WI |
| 109 | Memphis, TN-AR-MS |
| 110 | Columbus, GA-AL |
| 111 | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 112 | Altoona, PA |
| 113 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA |
| 114 | Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA |
| 115 | La Crosse, WI-MN |
| 116 | Fresno, CA |
| 117 | Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI |
| 118 | Hamilton-Middletown, OH |
| 119 | Springfield, MO |
| 120 | Lubbock, TX |
| 121 | Corpus Christi, TX |
| 122 | Reading, PA |
| 123 | Atlantic-Cape May, NJ |
| 124 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
| 125 | Miami, FL |
| 126 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL |
| 127 | Bangor, ME |
| 128 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO |
| 129 | Las Vegas, NV-AZ |
| 130 | Kansas City, MO-KS |
| 131 | Janesville-Beloit, WI |
| 132 | South Bend, IN |
| 133 | Tulsa, OK |
| 134 | Orlando, FL |
| 135 | Eau Claire, WI |
| 136 | St. Cloud, MN |
| 137 | Jamestown, NY |
| 138 | Tyler, TX |
| 139 | New Orleans, LA |
| 140 | Akron, OH |
| 141 | Salem, OR |
| 142 | Boulder-Longmont, CO |
| 143 | Longview-Marshall, TX |
| 144 | Rochester, MN |
| 145 | Bridgeport, CT |
| 146 | Provo-Orem, UT |
| 147 | Ventura, CA |
| 148 | Duluth-Superior, MN-WI |
| 149 | New Haven-Meriden, CT |
| 150 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL |
| 151 | Nashua, NH |
| 152 | Fort Walton Beach, FL |
| 153 | Salinas, CA |
| 154 | Killeen-Temple, TX |
| 155 | Chicago, IL |
| 156 | Savannah, GA |
| 157 | Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI |
| 158 | Houston, TX |
| 159 | Lawton, OK |
| 160 | Anchorage, AK |
| 161 | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 162 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI |
| 163 | Fort Pierce-Port St. Lucie, FL |
| 164 | Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC |
| 165 | Oakland, CA |
| 166 | Santa Rosa, CA |
| 167 | Louisville, KY-IN |
| 168 | San Jose, CA |
| 169 | Trenton, NJ |
| 170 | Riverside-San Bernardino, CA |
| 171 | Brazoria, TX |
| 172 | Wilmington, NC |
| 173 | Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA |
| 174 | Mobile, AL |
| 175 | Cumberland, MD-WV |
| 176 | Bergen-Passaic, NJ |
| 177 | Redding, CA |
| 178 | Jackson, MS |
| 179 | Baltimore, MD |
| 180 | Greenville, NC |
| 181 | Danbury, CT |
| 182 | Cheyenne, WY |
| 183 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX |
| 184 | Hagerstown, MD |
| 185 | Casper, WY |
| 186 | Lancaster, PA |
| 187 | Johnstown, PA |
| 188 | Terre Haute, IN |
| 189 | Columbia, MO |
| 190 | Spokane, WA |
| 191 | Iowa City, IA |
| 192 | Auburn-Opelika, AL |
| 193 | Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH |
| 194 | Lawrence, KS |
| 195 | Bismarck, ND |
| 196 | Springfield, IL |
| 197 | Topeka, KS |
| 198 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI |
| 199 | Sheboygan, WI |
| 200 | Yolo, CA |
| 201 | Omaha, NE-IA |
| 202 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA |
| 203 | Monmouth-Ocean, NJ |
| 204 | Yuma, AZ |
| 205 | Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY |
| 206 | Nashville, TN |
| 207 | Cedar Rapids, IA |
| 208 | Wausau, WI |
| 209 | Decatur, AL |
| 210 | Chattanooga, TN-GA |
| 211 | Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA |
| 212 | Great Falls, MT |
| 213 | St. Joseph, MO |
| 214 | Rochester, NY |
| 215 | Clarksville-Hopkinsville, TN-KY |
| 216 | Williamsport, PA |
| 217 | Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV |
| 218 | Birmingham, AL |
| 219 | Saginaw-Bay City-Midland, MI |
| 220 | Fort Myers-Cape Coral, FL |
| 221 | Sherman-Denison, TX |
| 222 | Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ |
| 223 | Lincoln, NE |
| 224 | Kenosha, WI |
| 225 | El Paso, TX |
| 226 | Huntsville, AL |
| 227 | Waco, TX |
| 228 | Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH |
| 229 | Amarillo, TX |
| 230 | Lowell, MA-NH |
| 231 | Rockford, IL |
| 232 | Burlington, VT |
| 233 | Charleston, WV |
| 234 | Flint, MI |
| 235 | Manchester, NH |
| 236 | Portland, ME |
| 237 | Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI |
| 238 | Enid, OK |
| 239 | Pensacola, FL |
| 240 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY |
| 241 | Binghamton, NY |
| 242 | Shreveport-Bossier City, LA |
| 243 | Pittsfield, MA |
| 244 | Flagstaff, AZ-UT |
| 245 | Jackson, MI |
| 246 | Syracuse, NY |
| 247 | Monroe, LA |
| 248 | Lake Charles, LA |
| 249 | Tallahassee, FL |
| 250 | Fayetteville, NC |
| 251 | Springfield, MA |
| 252 | Panama City, FL |
| 253 | Hartford, CT |
| 254 | Hickory-Morganton, NC |
| 255 | Albany, GA |
| 256 | Dothan, AL |
| 257 | Jonesboro, AR |
| 258 | Montgomery, AL |
| 259 | Grand Forks, ND-MN |
| 260 | York, PA |
| 261 | Newark, NJ |
| 262 | Jersey City, NJ |
| 263 | Detroit, MI |
| 264 | Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria, OH |
| 265 | Yakima, WA |
| 266 | Myrtle Beach, SC |
| 267 | Toledo, OH |
| 268 | Florence, SC |
| 269 | Florence, AL |
| 270 | Sioux City, IA-NE |
| 271 | Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton, PA |
| 272 | Elkhart-Goshen, IN |
| 273 | Phoenix-Mesa, AZ |
| 274 | Sumter, SC |
| 275 | Gary, IN |
| 276 | Lima, OH |
| 277 | San Angelo, TX |
| 278 | Canton-Massillon, OH |
| 279 | Pocatello, ID |
| 280 | Brockton, MA |
| 281 | Chico-Paradise, CA |
| 282 | Bakersfield, CA |
| 283 | Odessa-Midland, TX |
| 284 | Rapid City, SD |
| 285 | Glens Falls, NY |
| 286 | Worcester, MA-CT |
| 287 | Portsmouth-Rochester, NH-ME |
| 288 | Elmira, NY |
| 289 | Utica-Rome, NY |
| 290 | Victoria, TX |
| 291 | Youngstown-Warren, OH |
| 292 | Fitchburg-Leominster, MA-NH |
| 293 | Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula, MS |
| 294 | Wichita Falls, TX |
| 295 | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 296 | Texarkana-Texarkana, TX-AR |
| 297 | Lafayette, LA |
| 298 | Danville, VA |
| 299 | Benton Harbor, MI |
| 300 | Hattiesburg, MS |
| 301 | Rocky Mount, NC |
| 302 | Macon, GA |
| 303 | Owensboro, KY |
| 304 | Jackson, TN |
| 305 | Wheeling, WV-OH |
| 306 | Joplin, MO |
| 307 | Racine, WI |
| 308 | Sharon, PA |
| 309 | Erie, PA |
| 310 | Dutchess County, NY |
| 311 | Dubuque, IA |
| 312 | Waterbury, CT |
| 313 | Lewiston-Auburn, ME |
| 314 | Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito, TX |
| 315 | Yuba City, CA |
| 316 | Modesto, CA |
| 317 | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX |
| 318 | Jacksonville, FL |
| 319 | New Bedford, MA |
| 320 | Houma, LA |
| 321 | Alexandria, LA |
| 322 | Fort Smith, AR-OK |
| 323 | Anniston, AL |
| 324 | Gadsden, AL |
| 325 | Pine Bluff, AR |
| 326 | Lawrence, MA-NH |
| 327 | Kankakee, IL |
| 328 | Merced, CA |
| 329 | Newburgh, NY-PA |
| 330 | Stockton-Lodi, CA |
| 331 | Laredo, TX |