This year Money Magazine has selected one of our Miami Valley communities to place on its list of best places to live in the United States. With its convenient location between Dayton and Cincinnati, the city of Springboro, Ohio was rated as the 41^st on the magazine’s 2009 America’s 100 Best Small Towns to live in. The annual list was given in the August issue.

Money Magazine search for the best places to live begins with a review of US towns that have a population between 8,500 and 50,000 in population. Springboro Ohio made the initial cut with a population of 17,300. The magazine then excludes places where income is more than 200% or less than 85% of the state’s median income, those communities who’s population is more than 95% white, and those with poor education and crime scores. Then the final screening removes retirement communities, towns with significant job or population loss or extreme growth, and those with no major airport within 60 miles. Then the remaining places are ranked based on job growth, income increases, cost of living, housing affordability, school quality, arts and leisure, safety, health care, diversity, and several ease-of-living criteria.

The magazine evaluates each community on five major criteria - (1) Job/Economy, (2) Housing Affordability, (3) Safety, (4) Education, and (5) Leisure/Arts. Springboro Ohio was given a “B” rating in the area of jobs and economy. Springboro offers a very good variety of housing and at a good value. For that reason Springboro was given an “A” for housing affordability. With a wide spectrum of home prices, from the low 100s to over 1 million dollars, you will find the majority of homes to be Springboro Affordable Real Estate. In the area of safety a grade of “B” was given to the historic borough. The Springboro City Schools were given an “A” for the high quality of the school system. The lowest score was given to the community in the area of leisure and arts. Though Springboro has the nation’s fourth largest dinner theater, La Comedia, most art and leisure venues are located north of the city toward Dayton, Ohio.

Other Ohio cities that made the 2009 Top 100 Best Small Towns are Westerville (#15), Highland Heights (#18), Solon (#23), Twinsburg (#30), and Medina (#40). The Dayton suburb of Beavercreek Ohio made the Top 100 list in 2007.