The Republic | azcentral.com
Gilbert rates as Arizona's best place to live in 2012 according to CNN and Money magazine, which praised the fast-growing community for "shaking off the doldrums of the housing crash and working toward a brighter future."
Money ranked Gilbert as the nation's 33rd best "small city" for its growing health-care industry, rising education and "cheap homes, safe streets and sunny skies," according to an online magazine feature released Monday.
Chandler was the only other Arizona city included in the rankings, coming in at No. 50. Carmel, Ind. won top honors.
Gilbert climbed three spots from its most-recent ranking as No. 36 in 2010. The town was not ranked in 2011 because Money magazine only looked at small towns with populations between 8,500 and 50,000 people that year.
This year, Money examined 744 communities with populations between 50,000 and 300,000. The magazine first eliminated 343 communities that had poor education and crime scores, median household incomes well above or below the state average or more than 95 percent of residents of the same race.
The top 100 rankings also excluded retirement communities and cities with major job losses. The remainder were ranked based on factors such as job growth, home affordability, safety, school quality, health care, arts and leisure and diversity.
"To be ranked 33rd is just fabulous," Gilbert Mayor John Lewis said. "As I'm talking to people outside of Gilbert, they are just buzzing about how everyone wants to move to Gilbert. I think it's just a very positive statement of the clean, safe, vibrant community."
While the magazine recognizes Gilbert's recent successes in developing a strong health-care sector, anchored by Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, the publication offers one point of criticism: "For now, however, the city still lacks a sizable downtown."
Lewis said he understands how an outside group might consider Gilbert's downtown Heritage District small but contends they might feel differently after visiting in person.
"It is small, quaint and vibrant, and we will continue to look for ways to expand on that," Lewis said. "Once you get here you see that it is a very key asset to the community."
Lewis said the arrival of several popular restaurants, such as Postino East, Liberty Market and Oregano's Pizza Bistro has drawn diners to the Heritage District, but the area needs more retail shops. There have also been discussions about adding to the area's entertainment offerings and possibly looking to bring in a university, Lewis said.
Former Mayor Steve Berman, who is challenging Lewis in next week's mayoral election, said the top 100 ranking is "wonderful news" and stressed the importance of funding town programs that promote a higher quality of life.
"We need to continue to pay attention to those quality of life issues that keep us there," Berman said. "That includes allocating proper funding for public safety, parks and recreation and social services for seniors and children."
During the campaign, Berman has pointed out that Gilbert was ranked No. 28 in 2008, during his last four-year term as mayor. In an e-mail debate organized by The Republic, Berman said that Gilbert had dropped out of the rankings during Lewis' tenure.
But Gilbert was excluded from the 2011 rankings because the magazine only considered smaller towns for its rankings that year, not because of a poor evaluation.
Still, Berman said there seems to be a movement on the current Town Council away from the programs that elevate residents' quality of life. "The top 100 ranking is not based on who has the lowest taxes; Gilbert already has low taxes," Berman said. "It's about quality of life."
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/20120820gilbert-ranked-arizona-best-place-live-magazine.html#ixzz24Dq28TGJ
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