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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Montana A Bust In Best-Places Study

Associated Press

Montana may be “The Last Best Place” to many, but to Money magazine it’s the pits.

The magazine’s annual ranking of the best places to live in the United States lists only one Montana city - Billings - and it was rated No. 294 out of 300.

That continued a steady decline for Billings, which was No. 272 last year.

Ranked No. 1 overall was Nashua, N.H., a former mill town along the Massachusetts border with a booming economy and surrounding areas that “ooze classic Yankee charm,” Money said in its July issue.

In second place this year was Rochester, Minn. (No. 3 on last year’s list); followed by the area including Monmouth and Ocean counties, N.J. (38); and Punta Gorda, Fla. (2).

The magazine said its criteria included local crime rates, clean water and air, good schools, and inexpensive living.