These lists assign quite a bit of weight to the price of real estate to the overall rankings, but should they? The expensive housing/ condo market on Waikiki Beach make it less desirable than Norman, Oklahoma?! This has never made sense to me.

It could be argued that the price of real estate is the single best factor in determining “Best Places to Live”. That’s precisely why these places come with the high price tag…more people want to live there, and that demand drives housing costs up. Of course, not everyone has identical tastes, and there are many many people who would prefer some place I’ve never heard of like Fishers, IN over Manhattan, but let’s be serious. I’m sure that Plymouth, Minnesota is lovely, but were you to ask each of their residents if they’d trade their home for one in Atherton, California, you’d have more tha a few takers.