Siouxland counties among U.S. best
By Dave Dreeszen Journal business editor | Posted: Friday, February 02, 2007
Two Siouxland counties are among the top 10 places to live in rural America, says a national magazine.
Union County, S.D. ranked fifth and Sac County, Iowa, seventh on Progressive Farmer's 2007 list of "Best Places to Live in Rural America."
It's the second straight year that Union County cracked the magazine's Top 10. It's also the only holdover from last year's list, when it placed second overall.
The 2007 Top 10 counties are profiled in the Feburary issue of Progressive Farmer. Oddly, the Union County article mentions that just to the north, but outside the county, lies Sioux Falls, described as a "major economy, educational and cultural force in the region. '' But it makes no reference to Union County's closer proximity to Sioux City.
The article highlights Union County's agricultural economy and the Alcester-Hudson Elementary School, which last year was named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.
{M3The magazine describes Sac County as a quintessential farming area known for corn, soybeans, dairy and hogs. In addition, the article also features the nationally-known Farmall Promenade, a group of Nemaha area residents who perform a square dance with anitque Farmall tractors.
Sac, with a population of about 11,500 , replaces Union County as the smallest county on this year's top 10 list.
The magazine selected an additional 290 rural counties for four regional lists. On the Midwest list, Union and Sac were judged the second and third best, respectively. Several other area counties on the Midwest list were: 6. O'Brien (Iowa) 7. Sioux (Iowa) 10. Cuming (Neb.) 17. Cherokee (Iowa) 23. Carroll (Iowa) and 51. Nobles (Minn.).
Progressive Farmer, established in 1886 and owned by an Omaha-based company, partnered with a real estate research firm, to identify the most desirable rural counties to live based on several quality-of-life indicators and statistics such as household income, home and land prices, crime rates, education and access to health care.
After the list was compiled, magazine editors traveled for several months to visit the top counties.
To view the comprehesive listings online, go to: http://www.progressivefarmer.com/bestplaces/
Here are the Top 10 places to live in the rural U.S., according to Progressive Farmer magazine
1. Barren County, Ky.
2. Warren County, Pa.
3. Randolph County, Ill.
4. Gillespie County, Texas
5. Union County, S.D.
6. St. Lawrence County, N.Y.
7. Sac County, Iowa
8. Garfield County, Okla.
9. Amador County, Calif.
10. Polk County, N.C.
Union County, S.D. ranked fifth and Sac County, Iowa, seventh on Progressive Farmer's 2007 list of "Best Places to Live in Rural America."
It's the second straight year that Union County cracked the magazine's Top 10. It's also the only holdover from last year's list, when it placed second overall.
The 2007 Top 10 counties are profiled in the Feburary issue of Progressive Farmer. Oddly, the Union County article mentions that just to the north, but outside the county, lies Sioux Falls, described as a "major economy, educational and cultural force in the region. '' But it makes no reference to Union County's closer proximity to Sioux City.
The article highlights Union County's agricultural economy and the Alcester-Hudson Elementary School, which last year was named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.
{M3The magazine describes Sac County as a quintessential farming area known for corn, soybeans, dairy and hogs. In addition, the article also features the nationally-known Farmall Promenade, a group of Nemaha area residents who perform a square dance with anitque Farmall tractors.
Sac, with a population of about 11,500 , replaces Union County as the smallest county on this year's top 10 list.
The magazine selected an additional 290 rural counties for four regional lists. On the Midwest list, Union and Sac were judged the second and third best, respectively. Several other area counties on the Midwest list were: 6. O'Brien (Iowa) 7. Sioux (Iowa) 10. Cuming (Neb.) 17. Cherokee (Iowa) 23. Carroll (Iowa) and 51. Nobles (Minn.).
Progressive Farmer, established in 1886 and owned by an Omaha-based company, partnered with a real estate research firm, to identify the most desirable rural counties to live based on several quality-of-life indicators and statistics such as household income, home and land prices, crime rates, education and access to health care.
After the list was compiled, magazine editors traveled for several months to visit the top counties.
To view the comprehesive listings online, go to: http://www.progressivefarmer.com/bestplaces/
Here are the Top 10 places to live in the rural U.S., according to Progressive Farmer magazine
1. Barren County, Ky.
2. Warren County, Pa.
3. Randolph County, Ill.
4. Gillespie County, Texas
5. Union County, S.D.
6. St. Lawrence County, N.Y.
7. Sac County, Iowa
8. Garfield County, Okla.
9. Amador County, Calif.
10. Polk County, N.C.
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