Boulder has hot commodity despite recession: jobs

Boulder is not only a popular place to live, but also to make a living.

Money magazine recently named Boulder County as No. 8 on its Top 10 Places for Jobs list. The list was accumulated based on the magazine’s list of the Top Places to Live 2009, of which Louisville ranked first among small towns.

“While many people come for the University of Colorado, graduates stay because of the plentiful job opportunities,” the magazine said of Boulder.

The magazine noted Boulder’s high-tech firms – and top employers – including IBM, Sun Microsystems and Ball Aerospace, as well as IBM’s recent announcement that it would add another 500 jobs (primarily at its call center in the Boulder facility).

Cass County, N.D., with a 3.4 percent unemployment rate, topped Money magazine’s rankings. The magazine wrote that the county is the hub for the surrounding area’s health care, retail, manufacturing and educational needs. And now Microsoft and other high-tech companies are moving in next to the county’s traditional large employers of farm and construction equipment manufacturers such as John Deere and Bobcat.

Here’s a look at Money magazine's Top 10 Places for Jobs, all of which boast unemployment rates well below the national average of 10 percent:

Louisville tops list of Best Places to Live

Colorado seems to have representation on every “best of” list out there, so it’s no surprise that yet another Colorado community heads up Money magazine’s latest Best Places to Live ranking of America’s small towns.

With a population of 18,800 people, a strong economy and plenty of outdoor activities, Money ranked Louisville as the best place to live for 2009. Ranked 13th, another Boulder County community – Superior – was the only other Colorado town to appear on the list.

Money’s findings were based on measuring and weighting factors Americans value most, including jobs and a strong economy, low crime, affordable homes, activities, schools, health care, diversity, weather and more. In addition to those factors, Money looked for that something special, such as community spirit, positive attitudes and old-fashioned charm, that makes a town the place to raise a family.

The magazine highlighted Louisville’s ice cream shops and Waterloo Café; its summer-long Friday-night street fair, complete with a beer garden, live music, and games for the kids, that runs all summer; a low unemployment rate, thanks to “robust” industries including high-tech, energy and health-care; high-rated schools; and plenty to do outdoors, such as nearly 30 miles of trails, Rocky Mountain National Park that is less than an hour away and world-class ski resorts within a two-hour drive. Those factors, along with great weather, little crime rate, good health care and low taxes make Louisville the town to beat.

Money reported that, with Denver, Boulder, and Eldora Mountain Ski Resort each less than an hour away, Superior’s name reflects its location, as well. Its 27 miles of trails, 594 acres of parks and open space, and nearby employers including University of Colorado, Sun Microsystems, IBM and Ball Aerospace, make Superior an ideal town to live in, as well.

Here’s a look at the small towns that made Money’s top 10 Best Places to Live 2009: