Bolingbrook, Naperville Among Money Magazine's 'Best Places to Live'

The Village of Bolingbrook and City of Naperville once again earned spots on Money Magazine’s annual “Best Places to Live” list.

• Related: Bolingbrook Ranked Among ‘Most Boring Places in Illinois’

This year, Naperville was ranked No. 33, with Bolingbrook at No. 38. The two were the only Illinois towns to make the top 50.

“When Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar was first appointed in 1986, he promised to bring more jobs and economic opportunity to the area. He kept that vow,” Money says in its rankings. “Claar took the town’s 115,000 square feet of industrial, office, and manufacturing space, and grew it into a whopping 32 million. Companies like West Liberty Foods and Southern Wine and Spirits now operate out of this Chicago suburb.”

Money also praised Bolingbrook’s “notably diverse population,” golf courses, the four-time state champion Bolingbrook High School girls basketball team and the town’s Rocket Ice Arena.

Npaerville, meanwhile, was praised for its highly rated schools and safe neighborhoods, along with its “cosmopolitan feel.”

“The pedestrian-friendly city center has more than 50 restaurants (pizza lovers will find both wood-fired varieties and Chicago’s signature deep-dish style on offer), as well as art galleries, boutiques and live music clubs,” Money said.

Money makes the rankings by evaluating data from 781 U.S. cities with populations between 50,000 and 300,000. Factors considered include jobs, housing affordability, education, crime, health, arts and leisure, diversity and economic opportunity.

In addition to its No. 33 “Best Places” ranking, Naperville was rated No. 14 in another Money Magazine list of “Top Earning Towns.”