THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 13, 1996 TAG: 9606130345
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FARRELL KRAMER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: 95 lines
Despite bitter-cold winters and snow extending through April, Madison, Wis., ranks as the best place to live in America, according to Money magazine's annual ranking.
Hampton Roads made a much stronger showing in the annual ranking, improving to 117 on the list, up from 283.
``The area got better scores this year in some categories such as housing, health and education,'' said Richard Eisenberg, assistant managing editor for Money magazine, who is also in charge of the Best Places to Live in America article. ``Those were big pluses for the Norfolk metropolitan area this year.''
Home to a University of Wisconsin campus with 40,000 students and a vibrant economy boasting just 1.5 percent unemployment, Madison beat out the nation's other 299 biggest metropolitan areas to top the best-places list in the magazine's July issue.
``It snagged the top spot because apparently someone forgot to tell the folks in Madison that life is supposed to be full of trade-offs,'' the personal finance magazine writes.
On the opposite end of the list, but not far from Madison geographically, Rockford, Ill., ranked dead last at No. 300. Money cited subpar prospects for future job growth and a below-average health-care system.
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, the No. 1 place to live in 1994, ranked highest among North Carolina locales at No. 24, down from a No. 8 ranking last year. Next in line in the Tar Heel state was Charlotte, which shot up from No. 206 in 1995 to No. 84.
Some say there are other factors that moved the South Hampton Roads area higher on the list.
``We're over the threat of major base closings, and I think that was a major perception we would be suffering economically if Oceana closed or military bases contracted significantly,'' said Ann Baldwin, director of research for Forward Hampton Roads. ``We are receiving the benefit of consolidations, and we are getting more military headquartered operations. There's definitely more stability in that aspect of our economy now.
``I would also presume that our larger marketing efforts through Virginia's waterfront, our economic development advertisement, some of our major attractions receiving national recognition - like Nauticus, the Virginia Marine Science Museum - have played a role in the higher profile of the region,'' she said. ``I'm glad to see that Hampton Roads is being perceived in a better light.''
The proximity of the first- and last-place cities represents a major flip-flop from last year. Madison and Rockford are just 73 miles apart by car, according to the American Automobile Association.
Last year's top city, Gainesville, Fla., is a 2,920-mile drive from the 1995 loser, Yuba City, Calif.
Money's ranking of the best places has become an annual rite, generating extraordinary media attention. The list is compiled by polling readers to see what factors are most important to them, collecting data and using them to rank the 300 largest metropolitan areas.
The factors deemed by readers as most important this year were: a low crime rate, clean water, clean air, plentiful doctors, many hospitals, rising housing values, good schools, low property taxes, low income taxes and strong state government.
Madison's ascended to the top spot from last year's 16th-place ranking. Following Madison this year were: No. 2 Punta Gorda, Fla. (last year's No. 61); Rochester, Minn. (2); Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (6); and No. 5 Ann Arbor, Mich. (33).
Rounding out the top 10: Fort Myers/Cape Coral, Fla. (34); Gainesville (1); Austin, Texas (35); Seattle (4) and Lakeland, Fla. (41).
Money noted that for those put off by Madison's cold climate (high temperatures during the winter average just 20 degrees), Florida took five of the top 10 spots for a second year running.
But Madison is the year's big winner, or, technically, Madison and the rest of Dane County. Eighty miles west of Milwaukee, the area has a population of 390,300 but, the magazine says, a range of cultural activities usually associated with cities twice as big.
Besides the low unemployment rate, lowest of the 300 places Money examined, the magazine also notes that Madison is home to more than 300 technology companies and 20,000 recession-resistant government jobs.
``Mad City, as locals call it, is also Fun City, especially if you like boats and bikes,'' Money writes. The magazine cites nearby lakes and bike trails, as well as cross-country skiing in the winter. In the fall, the university's Badger football team dominates Saturdays.
Last-place Rockford, in contrast, was noted for a work force that is apparently fleeing in search of better opportunities, crime problems and steep property taxes.
Rockford's last-place ranking represented a slip from No. 293 last year. Immediately above Rockford at the bottom of the list: No. 299 Yuba City (last year's No. 300); Peoria, Ill. (297); Davenport, Iowa (290); and Lima, Ohio (245).
Rounding out the bottom 10: No. 295 Springfield, Ill. (279); Mansfield, Ohio (235); Albany/Schenectady/Troy, N.Y. (267); Waterbury, Conn. (114); and No. 291 Alexandria, La. (89). ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm] by CNB