NEW YORK, June 30 (Reuters Life!) - Forget California dreaming. Colorado offers the best quality of life and job possibilities, according to a study released on Wednesday.
Boulder, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs took three spots out of 10 in an analysis of mid-sized cities with healthy economies, moderate living costs, light traffic and strong educational systems, according to business news website Portfolio.com.
A study "of best mid-sized places to live can serve as a resource for those who are trying to start a business in new territories," J. Jennings Moss, editor of Portfolio.com, said in a statement.
Boulder ranked No. 1, followed by Provo, Utah.
The others in the top 10 were Fort Collins; Madison, Wisconsin; Ogden, Utah; Holland, Michigan; Colorado Springs; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Des Moines, Iowa; and Manchester, New Hampshire.
Portfolio.com compared 109 medium-sized markets with populations between 250,000 and 750,000.
TRAFFIC ILLNESS
Those seeking freedom from choking traffic jams and long commutes may want to pay particular attention.
Traffic is causing health problems such as reduced sleep, anger and stress for 65 percent of U.S. motorists asked in a recent International Business Machines Corp <IBM.N> survey of 8,000 drivers globally.
Twelve percent said traffic problems hurt their performance at work.
