It seems every list has a Colorado city or town as one of the best places to live in America. Money Magazine's latest list puts Lousiville as Number 3, behind Middleton, WI and Hanover, NH. The magazine's criteria for this years list focused on "smaller places that offered the best combination of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a real sense of community." Why Lousiville?

Louisville was founded in 1882 by immigrant coal miners, and the old wooden buildings downtown still give the place the feel of a small frontier town. Louisville's economy, though, is decidedly 21st century: Technology firms are the area's mainstay, and Louisville is only six miles from Boulder and 25 from Denver. Outdoor life is spectacular. Louisville's own 26-mile wooded biking and running path winds through much of town. On summer Friday nights, residents head to the fairgrounds for concerts, craft booths and food.

While the median price range for a home tops $300k, you can still snap up an old farmhouse near downtown or a condo for under $200k. The Louisville stats are here.