What is going on...?

Morgantown was on the news for being a great small-town last month!

Best Places to Live

Money's list of America's best small towns

2009 2008 2007 2006 2005

2 of 100

2. Chanhassen, MN

WINNER

Top 100 rank: 2
Population: 23,700
Unemployment: 6.1%
Compare Chanhassen to Top 10 Best Places

Apparently Chanhassen never got the memo that it's supposed to be in a recession. Unemployment here was more than three percentage points below the national average in May, thanks to a broad jobs base in the Twin Cities area.

Property taxes have dropped every year in the past five, even as median home prices have crept up. And the town still boasts a per­fect triple-A bond rating.

But Chanhassen has much more going for it than terrific numbers. "There's a genuine small-town feel," says Sarah Pinamonti, 41, who moved here with her husband, Rick, 43, in 2002. They've never regret­ted it. "We rarely have to leave town to have fun," says Rick.

No wonder: The town has 11 lakes, 34 parks, and the 1,047-acre Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Come winter there's a carnival, ice-fishing contests on Lake Ann, and skating and hockey everywhere (town officials flood grassy areas to create outdoor rinks). Wimps beware: Those activi­ties require braving temps that often dip into single digits.

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