Best Places to Live

For years we've been hearing that location no longer matters: As long as you're logged on you could be anywhere. But the reality is, that only gets you so far. Physical community still matters, and so does being able to log off and get lost. Truly, you are where you live. Use our 2008 guide to help you choose wisely.

Best City

Portland, OR

The ideal city should have all the career opportunities and good-life amenities people expect of urban living - plus accessible outdoor adventure. As home to big employers such as Nike, Adidas, Wieden & Kennedy, and Overland; with more restaurants per capita than any U.S. city except San Francisco and more breweries than Munich; and with the largest forested urban park in the nation and Mount Hood just two hours away, Portland is hard to beat.

Four more cities

Seattle, WA

San Diego, CA

Tucson, AZ

Memphis, TN

Best College Town

Bloomington, IN

The beauty of college towns is that they often have well-educated residents, a vibrant arts scene, affordable housing, and a cool commercial district. In winning its spot on MJ's Best Places to Live list, bloomington shows off some of the finest examples of each, plus plenty of surrounding green space.

Four more College Towns

Durham, NC

Moscow, ID

Madison, WI

Missoula, MT

Best Adventure Mecca

Leadville, CO

You're tired of your soft life. Your roof rack has been collecting dust in the corner of the garage for too long. You've had enough fancy dinners, movie nights, and PTA meetings for one lifetime. You want rock, sky, rapids, altitude, dirt, snow, and great coffee. Don't look down, just jump. Move to leadville.

Four More Adventure Towns

Bend, OR

Sitka, AK

Santa Cruz, CA

Driggs, ID

Best Green Living

Rural Washington County, VT

When you're ready to start enjoying the planet instead of spoiling it for your grandkids, there's one clear best place to lay down roots: rural Washington County. If you want your energy to be renewable, your commute clean, and your food organic, but you're not into living out West, this is it. On rolling acres between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, pull carrots and wind power alike out of your backyard.

Four More Green Locales

Highland Co., VA

Dolores, CO

Placerville, CA

Towns Co., GA

Best Expat Dream

Motueka, New Zealand

It is easy to believe that America has it all, but a simpler, more fulfilling life may be abroad. New Zealand is the adventure capital of the world and full of friendly, laid-back Kiwis.

Best Places: The Comebacks

They were once great towns but then fell into decline for various reasons. Now they're poised to top our list in the next few years. Move now, before housing costs skyrocket and entrepreneurs start elbowing each other for market space.

Richmond, VA

Denver, CO

Spokane, WA

Baltimore, MD

Milwaukee, WI

The Dalles, OR

Providence, RI