DFW Cities in Top 100 Best Places to Live in America

Money Magazine announced it's 2007 100 Best Places to live in America. DFW represents yet again with three cities in the top 100. Sadly, my beloved North Richland Hills was not included this year after ranking #68 in 2006. Haters. Moving on…

Keller surprises no one by coming in at #50 in the nation. Yes, the bastion of North Texas public school excellence was still beaten out by 49 other smalltown USA places. Still, considering all the places with better scenery in the country, #50 ain't too shabby. With a population of 35,900 and an average home price of $281,034 (and keep in mind that's for more than 2,000 sq. ft.), Keller is a pretty ideal place to live. It's one city over from North Richland Hills, where I currently live. As mentioned, their public school system is touted as something incredible (though I have no idea what they do so well). In fact, I have a Twitter friend who's just put her two story house on the market in Keller. It's a great deal. Contact me for more info.

Mansfield comes in at #83. I know it has its charms, but I have a personal grudge against Mansfield. Nothing solid… it's just too far south in the metroplex. It's on the edge of farm country and I never travel down there anymore. Plenty of newer homes there, but the trees are too young and I need some shade in the Texas heat. Still, it IS one of our most popular cities, so I won't dog it too much.

Grapevine makes an appearance at #97. Population 49,400. Located just minutes away from the 4th largest airport in the country, Grapevine is popular for its Main Street / downtown area and annual festivals. GrapeFest is an awesome event where you can try hundreds of wines from around the world. There's also a festival focused on food and (I believe) one on art as well.

Missing Cities
Southlake, Colleyville, and Frisco are three cities I'm surprised didn't make the list. Real estate is more expensive, but you're surrounded by opulence. That seems like a fair trade. I'd also say that North Richland Hills shouldn't have lost its spot from 2006, since it's one of the only cities in the area still improving and growing drastically. The Home Town edition surrounds the brand new NRH public library, a new elementary school, and the future NRH recreation center.

Which cities would you rank as DFW's finest and best places to live?