Chesco town makes ‘Best Places to Live’

Money Magazine released its annual "Best Places to Live" list this morning, and only one area municipality made the Top 100:

Chester County's West Goshen, population 8,800, came in at No 11.

"This family-friendly community has a quiet suburban feel, with no shortage of nearby shopping centers and local business, while Philadelphia is less than an hour away," says the blurb about the burb.

Next nearest on the list: Emmaus, Pa., is No. 88.

Top 3 overall: Louisville, Colo.; Chanhassen, Minn.; and Papillion, Neb.

Now, before you get all riled up about your burg being overlooked (or how you never heard of the top three towns), know this: This yearly list keeps changing the slice of life it looks at.

"Best small towns" was the focus this time - even though the big print, as usual, proclaims "Best Places to Live 2009."

All the selections have populations under 50,000.

That explains why Abington, population 57,000, didn't make it after finishing 21st last year. That category was "small cities."

But what happened to Nether Providence (Wallingford), population, 13,600, named ninth-best Great American Town in 2007?

Or Moorestown, population 21,000, named No. 1 overall for the same category in 2005?

No, Money doesn't "retire" top finishers.

Middleton, Wisc., No. 1 in 2007, is back at No. 4.

Louisville, Colo., this year's winner, was third in 2007 and fifth in 2005.

West Goshen and Emmaus were the only two Pennsylvania towns in this year's Top 100.

New Jersey landed three - all from North Jersey. They were: Warren (6), Montville (21), and River Vale (60).

Delaware got shut out.

For more, go to http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009.

Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.