COMMENT ON THIS STORY

(WBBM) - Naperville has once again claimed a top stop in Money Magazine's rankings of best small U.S. cities.

WBBM's Mary Frances Bragiel reports.  

Beth Fenner, Money Magazine's assistant managing editor, says Naperville is number three on the list, out of 100, followed by several other Chicago suburbs.

Bolingbrook is No. 32, Wheaton No. 54, Aurora No. 74 and Orland Park No. 92.

The small city rankings, based on a population of between 50,000 and 300,000, is the result of data on affordable housing, the city's crime rate and schools. 

The Number One small city in the U.S. according to the magazine is Plymouth, Minn.

The rankings are in the August edition.

The Top 25
(Rank, City, Population)
1 Plymouth, MN 70,100
2 Fort Collins, CO 129,400
3 Naperville, IL 142,900
4 Irvine, CA 193,900
5 Franklin Township, NJ 59,100
6 Norman, OK 102,800
7 Round Rock, TX 92,300
8 Columbia/Ellicott City, MD 158,800
9 Overland Park, KS 166,700
10 Fishers, IN 61,800
11 Olathe, KS 114,600
12 Highlands Ranch, CO 102,600
13 Parsippany/Troy Hills, NJ 52,900
14 McKinney, TX 107,500
15 Carrollton, TX 121,600
16 Cary, NC 112,400
17 Eagan, MN 63,700
18 Richardson, TX 99,800
19 Hunter Mill, VA 124,100
20 Allen, TX 73,200
21 Abington, PA 57,400
22 Troy, MI 81,100
23 Piscataway, NJ 53,900
24 Apple Valley, MN 50,100
25 Sully, VA 158,500

See the rest of the Top 100 HERE

Here's now Money describes Naperville:

It's no wonder Naperville has made Money's Best Places list three times now. The walkable downtown area is packed with restaurants and shops. The popular Riverwalk is a nearly two-mile brick path that follows the DuPage River's course through town.
Naperville's proximity to Chicago is a plus, but there are plenty of jobs to be had right here. Edward Hospital and Nicor Gas employ more than 8,000 people between them, and companies such as BP America, Lucent and Tellabs have offices in town.

Graduates of the city's schools handily outscore state and national averages on college entrance exams. And Naperville's public library is ranked the best in the nation among small cities by Hennen's American Public Library Ratings. On the downside, housing is pricier here than in some nearby suburbs; the typical three-bedroom, two-bath house runs $380,000. And congestion on the city's major roads can slow traffic to a crawl.

Get more details and see how Money describes other cites on its Top 100 HERE. Click on a city name for city details.
Onthe Net: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag