The 16 Best Towns To Live In, According To OUTSIDE Magazine

Posted by blogekiyai on Tuesday, August 19, 2014

With all the hustle, bustle, glitz and glamour you could ever want, urban centers are hard to pass up. But for the 1.5 million readers who casted their bracket-style votes inOUTSIDE magazine's Best Towns Competition, that's certainly not the case.

Between their "delectable dining scenes, friendly, walkable neighborhoods and unparalleled access to outdoor adventure," the top spots included in the publication's annual ranking are proudly showing what quality access to healthy eating options and green, open spaces looks like -- all while making the case for banishing the big city life.

Check out how the pre-selected towns ranked this year (on a scale of 0 to 100), and see for yourself why you don't need a major metro to live large...

  • 16

    Louisville, Kentucky

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    Final Score: 73

    Median Household Income: $44,111
    Median Home Price: $139,400

  • 15

    La Crosse, Wisconsin

    Flickr / sleepycat5
    Final Score: 74

    Median Household Income: $39,014
    Median Home Price: $129,100

  • 14

    Montpelier, Vermont

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    Final Score: 74

    Median Household Income: $60,587
    Median Home Price: $208,300

  • 13

    Houghton, Michigan

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    Final Score: 76

    Median Household Income: $23,912
    Median Home Price: $130,000

  • 12

    Nashville, Tennessee

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    Final Score: 77

    Median Household Income: $45,982
    Median Home Price: $165,00

  • 11

    Asheville, North Carolina

    Flickr / Frank Swift
    Final Score: 80

    Median Household Income: $42,333
    Median Home Price: $195,500

  • 10

    Provo, Utah

    Flickr / ebairdâ„¢
    Final Score: 80

    Median Household Income: $40,288
    Median Home Price: $210,300

  • 9

    Minneapolis, Minnesota

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    Final Score: 81

    Median Household Income: $48,881
    Median Home Price: $216,800

  • 8

    Missoula, Montana

    Flickr / Jack Crossen
    Final Score: 82

    Median Household Income: $39,076
    Median Home Price: $238,300

  • 7

    Burlington, Vermont

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    Final Score: 83

    Median Household Income: $43,135
    Median Home Price: $259,500

  • 6

    Anchorage, Alaska

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    Final Score: 83

    Median Household Income: $76,495
    Median Home Price: $277,100

  • 5

    Charleston, South Carolina

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    Final Score: 84

    Median Household Income: $76,495
    Median Home Price: $225,000

  • 4

    Portland, Maine

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    Final Score: 88

    Median Household Income: $44,487
    Median Home Price: $241,700

  • 3

    Duluth, Minnesota

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    Final Score: 88

    Median Household Income: $41,311
    Median Home Price: $148,600

  • 2

    Ithaca, New York

    Flickr / James Willamor
    Final Score: 89

    Median Household Income: $29,230
    Median Home Price: $184,400

  • 1

    Boulder, Colorado

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    Final Score: 91

    Median Household Income: $56,206
    Median Home Price: $489,500

OUTSIDE worked with a rocket scientist to combine factors including access to outdoor adventure, healthy eating options, green, open spaces, unemployment rates, median incomes and an editor's choice variable to summarize how livable a place is, with 100 being the outdoorsman's perfect paradise.

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Source : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/best-towns-to-live-in_n_5691410.html?utm_hp_ref=business&ir=Business