America's top micropolitan areas

According to Bizjournal (my city is a little too big to make this list). A total of 577 micropolitian areas were studied by the Bizjournals. A micropolitan area is defined as regions that are economically dependent on central cities with 10,000 to 50,000 residents. All metropolitan areas were specifically excluded.
1. Bozeman, Mont.
2. Jackson, Wyo.
3. Durango, Colo.
4. Easton, Md.
5. Laramie, Wyo.
6. Edwards, Colo.
7. Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
8. Pierre, S.D.
9. Silverthorne, Colo.
10. Los Alamos, N.M.

Full list and other assored, interesting data:
http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/pages/21.html#l

 

Cleary the weather and quite possibly housing cost aren't determining factors.

Bozeman and Jackson are great towns, but cold as can be for long periods of time and there's a reason the per capita (not per household) income in Jackson is more than $60,000.

 

For those of you too lazy to downnload the spreadsheet to see which micropolitan area won Mr. Irrelevent, I give you Newport, Tenn. No. 577 in your programs, No. 1 in meth-addled hillbillies, pulling down a quality of life score of minus-11.07.

 

I absolutely love Durango and would consider moving there if I won the lottery.

I lived right next to Kill Devil Hills -- on the Outer Banks of N.C. -- for two years and I don't know why it would make the list over Nags Head or Kitty Hawk since the three towns are essentially one place. In addition, the Outer Banks is miserable in the summer as 200,000 people descend on the area.