Hope's hometown of Holland continues to win national recognition for its high quality of life.
Hope's hometown of Holland continues to win national recognition for its high quality of life.
Rankings announced in June by Portfolio.com/bizjournals placed Holland sixth nationally among 109 medium-size communities.
The rankings examined metropolitan areas with populations between 250,000 and 750,000. The communities were considered in 20 categories related to employment, cost of living, traffic, housing and education. The Holland area, with 260,891 residents, was first nationally in the percentage of people living in the same house for more than one year, in having the lowest poverty rate for families and in having the highest homeowner rate.
In addition to Holland, the top-10 medium-size communities were Boulder, Colo.; Provo, Utah; Fort Collins, Colo.; Madison, Wis.; Ogden, Utah; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Ann Arbor; Des Moines, Iowa; and Manchester, N.H.
The study was conducted as a companion to a previous study by Portfolio.com/bizjournals that had rated major markets with more than 750,000 residents. Raleigh, N.C., topped the major-markets list.
Earlier this year, a Gallup-Healthways survey had ranked the Holland-Grand Haven metro area second in the U.S., behind only Boulder, and number one east of the Mississippi, for overall well-being. Gallup-Healthways placed the area first nationally in whether or not residents feel safe walking alone at night and in providing access to a safe place to exercise.
More information about the Portfolio.com/bizjournals survey may be found at:
http://www.portfolio.com/business-news/us-uncovered/2010/06/30/boulder-c...
More about the Gallup-Healthways survey is available at: