Silverthorne
Silverthorne Ranks as “Dream Town”
By The Walsh Group

Look to western micropolitan areas such as Silverthorne CO real estate for the best “quality of life” according to a study that identifies American “dream towns.”  Silverthorne ranked 9th out of hundreds of cities in the study.

Silverthorne real estate is perched 8,700 feet above sea level in central Colorado’s Rocky Mountains only 60 air miles to Denver amenities.  The population of 24,892 in the Silverthorne CO real estate area reflects a steady growth over the past five years.  With 1,897 small businesses and an 11-percent increase in income, Silverthorne’s proximity to prominent Colorado ski resorts and accessibility to Interstate 70 projects a good economic picture.  In fact, it leads “micropolitan” America in this regard. 

It is Bizjournals who ranked the quality of life in these small metropolitan areas.  Their study was inspired by the increasing public interest in small-town life and business opportunities.  According to U.S. Census Bureau, each year more than 1.7 million people move from metropolitan areas to small cities or rural counties   Bizjournal identifies small communities that would be most attractive to people considering such a move by comparing performances in the following categories:

1.  Population growth -- Strongest growth in population from 2000 to 2005.

2.  Income growth -- Strongest growth in per capita income from 1999 to 2004.

3.  Per capita income -- Highest per capita income.

4.  Small business growth -- Strongest growth in number of small businesses (99 or fewer employees) from 1998 to 2003.

5.  Small business concentration -- Highest number of small businesses per 1,000 residents.

6.  Management or professional jobs -- Percentage of all jobs in the workforce classified as managerial or professional.

7.  Ease of commuting -- Percentage of workers who commute less than 15 minutes to work, minus the percentage who commute more than 45 minutes.

8.  Affordable housing -- Lowest ratio of house value per $1,000 of median household income.

9.  Low taxation -- Lowest ratio of real estate taxes per $1,000 of median household income.

10. College degrees -- Highest percentage of adults 25 or older with bachelor's degrees.

11. Advanced degrees -- Highest percentage of adults 25 or older with graduate degrees.

12. Proximity to major metropolitan area -- Lowest air mileage to center of closest metro area with more than 2.5 million people.

Bizjournals is the new media division of American City Business Journals, the nation's largest publisher of metropolitan business newspapers.  It operates Websites for each of the company's 41 print business journals.  The study looked at 577 cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000.

Seven of the 10 highest-ranked cities that offer the best quality of life are in Western states.  The other cities on the dream-town list are Bozeman, Montana; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Durango, Colorado; Easton, Maryland; Laramie, Wyoming; Edwards, Colorado; Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina; Pierre, South Dakota; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.