SAC rates in the Top 10

Kiplinger's - the finance magazine - just released its picks for the Top 10 cities in which to live, work and play. Sacramento is #8 - that in spite of the fact that it is 21 points above the national cost of living average. Here's an excerpt from Kiplingers.com:


"We discovered that our numbers guru, Kevin Stolarick, hadn't steered us wrong. Stolarick, research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity, says: "Our formula highlights cities not just with strong past performance, but also with all the ingredients for future success." One key to a bright future is a healthy shot of people in the creative class. People in creative fields -- scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists and entertainers -- are catalysts of vitality and livability in a city.

"The cities that made our list also represent larger surrounding areas. And because we understand that city living isn't for everyone, we've highlighted some great suburbs, too."

Here are their picks:

No. 1: Houston,Texas
No. 2: Raleigh, N.C.
No. 3: Omaha, Neb.
No. 4: Boise, Idaho
No. 5: Colorado Springs, Colo.
No. 6: Austin, Texas
No. 7: Fayetteville, Ark.
No. 8: Sacramento, Calif.
No. 9: Des Moines, Iowa
No. 10: Provo, Utah

I certainly am a fan of Sacramento. I lived here more than 25 years ago, and honestly didn't really appreciate it for what it was - a city of diversity and personality, with an incredible array of things to do and places to see within a fifty-mile radius. The fact that you can do something different every weekend of the year, and not have to travel far is becoming more and more important as the gas prices rise exponentially.

In fact, it is the reason for my blog and eventual website SacramentoandBeyond.com. There is so much to write about; so many businesses to profile. I'm finally getting started for real. Within a couple of months, I will be able to publish the bare bones of the site, but I estimate it's going to take me until the beginning of 2009 to have the full site up and running. So it will be a work in progress in the beginning, but hopefully helpful anyway.

So, obviously, I'd vote for Sacramento to be Number One in the Top 10. Kiplinger's take note!

By the way, the photo is of a spot near Folsom Lake, very wooded and cool - a great place to visit today as we tip over the 100 degrees mark again.