Last week Fortune® Magazine voted Albuquerque as #1 for BEST CITY TO DO BUSINESS AND START A CAREER!
#1 Albuquerque, N.M.
Population: 793,000Job Growth: 1.1%Income Growth: 3.0% Big Employers: University of New Mexico, Sandia National Labs, Kirtland Air Force Base, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Intel.
Median household income has shot up 19% over the past two years to $49,000, helping Albuquerque claim the No. 1 spot, up from fifth place last year. Even with a highly educated workforce, business costs are still the lowest in the country, 24% below the national average.
Our top-ranked metro, Albuquerque, N.M., has the lowest business costs in the country, 24% below the national average. New Mexico's capital also benefited from an educated population and rising household incomes.
To calculate living expenses, Economy.com considered housing, transportation, food and other household expenses. In the rankings, we also examined job and income growth, as well as migration trends over the last five years. Bertrand Sperling, a consultant in Portland, Ore., analyzed crime data for us and developed an arts and leisure index that tracks things like museums, theaters, golf courses and sports teams. He also gauged the education of the workforce and assessed the presence of top colleges in the area.
Today, Kiplinger® has voted Albuquerque as #3 for MOST AFFORDABLE AND FUN -
KIPLINGER LIFESTYLE REPORT
50 SMART PLACES TO LIVE -- A TASTE OF THE TOP TEN
We asked our readers to describe their ideal place to live. Your answer: You want cities that are fun, vibrant and affordable.
So we at Kiplinger's Personal Finance sent our writers in search of 50 smart places to live that fit your criteria. Here are our top ten. As you'll see, each city has a distinct flavor. Have a taste:
3. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
What We Loved: Miles of trails in the city along the Rio Grande's undeveloped banks and through cottonwood forests. More than 300 sunny days a year to enjoy cycling or hiking.
Albuquerque's skyline is more about the sky than the line. Sunsets are big events in this city near the Sandia Mountains. The range was named after the Spanish word for watermelon, a nod to the pink hue the mountains turn at dusk.
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