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List of Tables, Maps, and Diagrams | |
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About the Authors | |
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Preface | |
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Introduction | |
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Rating Places: A Continental Pastime | |
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Metropolitan Areas | |
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Decisions, Decisions | |
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Rating Places: One Way | |
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Rating Places: Your Way | |
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Costs of Living | |
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Pulling Down $75,000 a Year | |
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... And Scraping By on It | |
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Caveats | |
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Scoring: Costs of Living | |
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Rankings: Costs of Living | |
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Place Profiles: Costs of Living | |
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Et Cetera: Costs of Living | |
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The High Cost of College | |
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Taxes | |
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Transportation | |
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Getting Around Town | |
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Inter-City Travel | |
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Judging Transportation | |
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Scoring: Transportation | |
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Rankings: Transportation | |
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Place Profiles: Transportation | |
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Et Cetera: Transportation | |
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Ferryboats, Cable Cars, Monorails, Aerial Trams, and Inclines | |
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Contradictory Rules of the Road | |
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Driver Licensing | |
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Finding Your Way on the Interstate | |
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Jobs | |
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Forecasting Where the Jobs Will Be | |
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Blue-Collar Blues | |
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... And a White Collar Chorus | |
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Judging Jobs | |
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Scoring: Jobs | |
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Rankings: Jobs | |
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Place Profiles: Jobs | |
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Et Cetera: Jobs | |
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Life in a Boom Town | |
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A Jobs Menu | |
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Headquarter Metros | |
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Legal Holidays | |
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Education | |
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Public Schools | |
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Private Schools | |
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The Public Library | |
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Colleges and Universities | |
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Scoring: Education | |
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Rankings: Education | |
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Place Profiles: Education | |
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Et Cetera: Education | |
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Continuing Education: A Growing Trend | |
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Solving the SAT Puzzle ... or Trying | |
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Outstanding Secondary Schools | |
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Homeschooling | |
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Climate | |
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The Difference Is Geophysical | |
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Judging Climate | |
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Scoring: Climate | |
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Rankings: Climate | |
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Place Profiles: Climate | |
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Et Cetera: Climate | |
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It's Not the Heat, It's the Humidity | |
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When the Wind Blows | |
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Natural Hazards | |
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North American Weather Extremes | |
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Crime | |
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Crime Risk: Several Connections | |
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Crime Indexes | |
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A Caveat | |
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Judging Crime | |
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Scoring: Crime | |
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Rankings: Crime | |
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Place Profiles: Crime | |
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Et Cetera: Crime | |
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Capital Punishment | |
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National and Regional Crime Rates | |
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Drunk Driving | |
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Handguns | |
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The Arts | |
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Art Museums and Galleries | |
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Tuning In to Concert Radio | |
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The Lively Arts Calendar | |
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Scoring: The Arts | |
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Rankings: The Arts | |
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Place Profiles: The Arts | |
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Et Cetera: The Arts | |
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New York, New York | |
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The David and Goliath Proposition | |
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Health Care | |
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What the Numbers Say | |
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Two Systems--Insurance, Access, and the Rest | |
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The Doctors | |
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The Hospital | |
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Scoring: Health Care | |
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Rankings: Health Care | |
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Place Profiles: Health Care | |
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Et Cetera: Health Care | |
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Health Care in Canada | |
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Healthy Life/Longer Life | |
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Finding the Right Doctor | |
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Immunization | |
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Recreation | |
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Common Denominators | |
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Crowd Pleasers | |
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Outdoor Recreation Assets | |
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Scoring: Recreation | |
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Rankings: Recreation | |
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Place Profiles: Recreation | |
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Et Cetera: Recreation | |
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Looking for the Best Skiing? | |
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Where Are the Best Sports Towns? | |
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Putting It All Together | |
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Finding the Best Places in North America | |
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Rankings: Putting It All Together | |
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Et Cetera: Putting It All Together | |
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Finding Your Best Place to Live | |
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A Big Pond or a Small One? | |
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Appendixes | |
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Metropolitan Areas by State and Province | |
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People | |
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Metropolitan Area Contacts and Place Finder | |