Maryland and Virginia Among Highest for Technology, Business Friendliness
CNN Money.com and CNBC.com just released their 2010 lists - Top Earning Towns, Best 100 Small Cities to Live,and CNBC for Top States for Business- and The Washington Post announced the area's education level.
Bethesda, MD has the highest median family income in the US, according to CNN Money.com. Ellicott City/Columbia, Maryland is named by a CNN survey as #2 Best Small City to Live in the country, up from #8 in 2008, with its grand homes, a lovely 18th-century downtown, lots of restaurants, wide range of housing, tons of parkland, and a major music venue. It's also an economic powerhouse with a jobless rate at just 5.2%.
Also named by CNN as high on the list were Gaithersburg, MD (# 25), Centerville, VA (#30), Rockville, MD (#31), and Alexandria, VA (#41).
CNBC named Virginia as #2 overall of the top states for business, bumped out if its 2009 #1 slot by Texas this year. Maryland remained in its #27 position overall, same slot as 2009. In individual categories, Maryland ranked #8 in Technology and Innovation, and Virginia #2 in Business Friendliness, same as in 2009.
In addition, the Washington DC area has the best-educated population in the nation, as reported in The Post.
See: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/snapshots/PL2718116.html
See: http://www.cnbc.com/id/37516043/
See: http://bit.ly/9Wzfun
See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/14/AR2010071405751.html
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F. Hill Slowinski, JD, REALTOR® in DC, MD, and VA
W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors, A Long & Foster Company
Exclusive Affiliate of Christie's Great Estates
Consultant, Luxury Real Estate, Sloans & Kenyon Auctioneers and Appraisers
4701 Sangamore Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20816
Tel: 301-229-4000 Fax: 301-229-4015
Direct: 301-320-8430 · Cell: 301-452-1409
Email: HSlowinski@LNF.com · Web Site: www.HillSlowinski.com 
Weblog: http://HillSlowinskiRealEstate.com
Hill, I sold in the Centreville, VA market years ago, and made a visit to the area about three years ago. Wow... the changes that took place. What used to be considered "out a bit" is now considered "close in." It works that way.
The DC area is nice. Lots of museums. Organized city streets.
BTW, the San Francisco - Silicon Valley Bay Area also had many cities on the top cities list. There are some nice places to live on both coasts :-)
Indeed. I was glad to see so many of our local areas represented in the "best" list. This is a wonderful place to live with such a variety of just about everything.
This is good news for people who live in those cities.It will help the real estate market there.