Mill Valley City is only one in state to make financial news groups' top-20 list.

Money magazine and CNN/Money's "The Best Places to Live for 2005" this week anointed Mill Valley with its 10th most livable mantle, thusly:

”Home prices in Mill Valley are nearly as breathtaking as the views from nearby Mount Tamalpais. For $800,000 you get a teardown. Dotcom millionaires and power couples in the film and music industries are flocking to what not so long ago was a hangout for artists and reformed hippies just 14 miles from the Golden Gate."

The magazine adds, "Yet most residents are interested in maintaining the town's low-key, back-to-nature atmosphere. Think fleece and flip-flops, not fur and stilettos. For those working toward that first million - not counting real estate - downtown San Francisco is a 30-minute commute."

Not only is Mill Valley No. 10, it is the only Bay Area or California city in the top 20. Other ranked Bay Area communities are Saratoga, 26; Benicia, 81; and Petaluma, 88. Aptos comes in at 65. Other California communities are Coronado, 65; Chino Hills (near Pomona), 68; and Newbury Park (near Thousand Oaks), 71.

40,000 cities were initially considered as candidates but a number of factors like population above 14,000, population growth and real estate appreciation over the past five years led to a narrowing down of the list. That narrowed the list to 1,321. Places were then eliminated if not within 60 miles of a major airport and 30 miles of a major teaching hospital. Also dropped were towns with schools with low academic achievement test scores or that fell below the 25th percentile in any two of the following: unemployment, income growth, crime or arts resources.

Source:http://www.millvalley.com/article.aspx?articleID=10