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100 Best places to live and launch 2008 FSB

100 Best places to live and launch 2008

And the winners are...
And the winners are...
FSB scoured the country for towns that combine a great business environment with alluring leisure offerings. We looked at economic conditions such as local tax rates alongside natural beauty - and easy access to museums, hungry gamefish, and more. More
1. Bellevue, WA
6. Portland, OR
2. Georgetown, TX
7. Denver, CO
3. Buford, GA
8. Charlotte, NC
4. Marina del Rey, CA
9. Fort Worth, TX
5. Bethesda, MD
10. Franklin, MA
• See the top 100
7 tax-free havens
7 tax-free havens
Starting a company in one of these business-friendly locations can save a proprietor big bucks: These seven states all have no individual income tax, and some have no corporate income tax. More
Back from the dead
Back from the dead
The decline of major industries such as steel and tobacco threatened to turn these towns into economic wastelands. Instead, local officials have reinvented their cities as meccas for biotech, software development, and telecoms. More
• 5 modern manufacturing hubs
Top tech launching pads
Top tech launching pads
A look at 6 rising technology hubs across the country, from the Pacific Northwest to southern Virginia - and even the Rust Belt. More
• 5 places biotech thrives
More Stories
Why Bellevue is No. 1
Why Bellevue is No. 1
Abundant tech talent. Gorgeous views. (But costly homes and taxes.) More
• A new Napa: American Canyon, CA (No. 11)
• From textiles to high-tech: Manchester (No. 13)
• Hollywood on the Plains: Iowa City (No. 21)
How entrepreneurs create hot spots
How entrepreneurs create hot spots
New businesses turn bad neighborhoods into great business locations. More
• Big Apple lures little companies
• The call of the mountains
Find your best places to live
See which of more than 3,500 towns from Money's 2007 Best Places to Live database best meet your criteria.
Criteria Not
important		     Very
important
Affordable housing
Plentiful leisure activities
Plentiful cultural options
Job growth
Sunny weather
Short commute time
Good health care access
How we pick the 100 Best
We ranked 296 Census-designated metro areas by business friendliness (Launching Score, % New Businesses) and lifestyle offerings (Living Score). Then, through reporting, we picked the town within each of the top 100 metro areas that best blends business and pleasure. More....
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