Mt. Pleasant makes ‘Best Places’ list

Once again Mount Pleasant is the only South Carolina city to make CNN/Money Magazine’s annual list of 100 “Best Places to Live in the U.S.”

Over the past six years, Mount Pleasant has finished in the top 100 twice. No other South Carolina city has ever made the list.

This year Mount Pleasant was listed No. 100. In 2006, the town near Charleston was No. 70.

“This appealing town has three main things going for it: miles of beach, a moderate climate and strong schools,” according to CNNMoney.com. “Less than 10 minutes from Charleston, Mount Pleasant is big in shrimping, though cheaper imported Asian seafood has hurt the industry.

“Residents revel in community events such as the ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ – an annual spring festival in which everyone enjoys fresh-caught shrimp and live music,” said the report at CNNMoney.com.

The No. 1 city this year was Eden Prairie, Minn. The city is family-friendly and has a 5.1% unemployment rate, CNNMoney.com reports. With a population of 64,000, major employers in Eden Prairie include C.H. Robinson, Starkey Labs, and the front office and practice facility for the Minnesota Vikings.

Rounding out the top five are Columbia/Ellicott City, Md., Newton, Mass., Bellevue, Wash., and McKinney, Texas.

Neighboring states Georgia and North Carolina had three cities make the top 100: Cary, N.C., No. 23, Chapel Hill, N.C., No. 40; and Roswell, Ga., No. 76.