I like Burlington, VT. I have been there, looks like a great place to
live!
New York was the greatest city in the world until I was unemployed last year.
It has slowly redeemed itself.
Surely, people with big dreams still flock to the city, hoping they will make it here. 
In the latest push to make the concrete jungle the east-side version of Silicon Valley, NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg set up a venture fund to jump start some startup companies.
But big city living isn’t for everyone. In fact, there’s a reason why smart people and good ideas happen in college towns. Super ideas turn into stellar businesses. And that turns into JOBS!
Kiplinger editors picked the best towns to live in — each one had to offer a good quality of life and be a great place to start a business.
Sadly, New York didn’t make the cut.
The top 10 cities for the next decade are:
- Austin, Tex.
- Seattle, Wash.
- Washington, D.C.
- Boulder, Colo.
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Rochester, Minn.
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Burlington, Vt.
- West Hartford, Conn.
- Topeka, Kan.
I can only attest to Boulder. I lived in the cute, mountain town while I was in grad school and it was amazing. I think it should have been No. 1 on the list (but I might be a little biased). Once you get past the barefoot hippies dancing at summer fairs, the young professionals riding to work on bikes and the vibrant college culture will keep your creative juices flowing.
Whenever you want inspiration, go hiking, snowboarding, or rock climbing — there’s a little bit of something for everybody in Boulder.
Have you lived in one of Kiplinger’s Top 10 cities of the decade?
Photo: xJasonRogersx/ flickr
