Iowa City tops best city list p.9

By: Editorial Staff Iowa City, Iowa, tops the list of best metropolitan areas in the United States in which to live. So reports the just- released The Editor & Publisher Market Guide, which ranks Boulder-Longmont, Colo.; Columbia, Mo.; Bryan-College Station, Texas; and Gainesville, Fla., in the next four positions.
Now in its 75th annual printing, The Editor & Publisher Market Guide includes the Better Living index for the first time.
"The focus of the market guide has always been data to assist marketers," says Colin Phillips, publisher. "Demographic and economic data combined with quality of life data made our market guide unique. This combination of data also makes the market guide a frequent recommendation by librarians for people seeking relocation data."
The Cost of Living Index, Crime Index, and Education Levels have been weighted to develop the Better Living Index. Other ranking tables include population, disposable income, income per household, total retail sales, and retail sales in nine specific categories. Rankings are based on E&P estimates for 1999.
The printed market guide, priced at $120, includes rankings for all 315 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA); the top 250 counties; and the top 250 newspaper U.S. cities. A CD-ROM version extends these rankings to include every newspaper city and county in the U.S. The E&P Market Guide is the only reference guide to do this.
The top five MSAs in population are Los Angeles-Long Beach; New York; Chicago; Boston-Worcester-Lawrence-Lowell-Brockton; and Philadelphia.
Information about the market guide can be found at E&P's Web site, www.infomedia.com, or by calling David Williams at 212-675-4380 ext.
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