Affordable housing, low crime, topnotch schools, good jobs, an active outdoor culture, Plymouth's open-air amphitheater, the Hilde Performance Center, excellent school...the school district is ranked among the top three in the state. More than 50,000 jobs keep residents working there. Mall of America, the nation's biggest mall is here and the typical three-bedroom, two-bath house goes for $350,000.

Cycling is very big in Fort Collins, that's why every new road has a bike lane, theres a bike library, Residents and visitors can check out a bicycle for up to seven days, free. The City is starting a solar-energy project downtown. Bioscience and tech companies, including Agilent Technologies, Hewlett-Packard and Kodak, keep employment opportunities high. Old Town historic district contains four microbreweries and more than two dozen restaurants.

Quaint Downtown Naperville is lined with restaurants and shops, the popular Riverwalk is a nearly two-mile brick path that follows the DuPage River's course through town, Plenty of jobs here...Edward Hospital and Nicor Gas employ more than 8,000 people, Tellabs, BP America and Lucent call Naperville home to their corporate offices. Naperville's public library is ranked the best in the nation and the school system is outstanding. Close enough to Chicago to drive. A typical three-bedroom, two-bath house runs $380,000.

Franklin Township is a pristine 65-acre heaven amid a 46-square-mile municipality which is home to several different villages. Jobs are plentiful with several high-tech, pharmaceutical and research and development firms in the area. Princeton just to the south and Rutgers and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to the north. The school system has a 95% graduation rate. Starter homes go for less than $250,000.

Friday night high school football, booming with new development, real estate prices will getting more house for your dollar and a top-performing school district make Allen ideal for families who want to grow with their community.