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Wesley Chapel gets notice for quality of life

It doesn't make Money magazine's top 10, but it was still ranked among the top places in Florida.

By STEPHEN HEGARTY
Published July 20, 2005

WESLEY CHAPEL - Wesley Chapel doesn't have the restaurants, museums, colleges and movie theaters that grace some of the nation's most desirable towns.

Then again, it doesn't have the rate of property crime. And it has more golf courses nearby.

What that all adds up to is that Wesley Chapel was in the running this year for Money magazine's list of the nation's best places to live. The community didn't make the top 10.

But it was among the top places in Florida, and was in contention for the national rankings.

"I think it's pretty impressive to be in that kind of company," said Janet Watson, the honorary mayor of Wesley Chapel and a 21-year resident. "We're not at the top of the list. But it gives us something to aspire to."

Also included on the list were Odessa and Lutz, which was a finalist. Interestingly, the part of Lutz that is in Pasco County abuts Wesley Chapel. Fifty-five Florida communities were in the running. Several states, including Maine and West Virginia, had no communities on the list.

The list is included in the August issue of Money magazine, and can be found online at http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/

The rankings describe the best "places" to live. It leaves out large cities. Most of the places listed are unincorporated towns and communities. It also leaves out towns with populations of less than 14,000. Because of the criteria for the rankings, most of the contenders turned out to be well-to-do communities just outside major cities.

"If there's a bias, that's it," said Craig Matters, executive editor at Money magazine. "We ended up with relatively affluent suburbs of major metropolitan areas. Remember, the name of the magazine is Money. Our readership is not necessarily rich, but they are aspirational.

"We've come up with a list of places where our readers might want to live and work and raise children."

Alison Morano, chairman of the board of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, said she was pleased that the rankings looked at several quality of life indicators. In the past, the community has appeared on lists of the fastest growing communities, which, Morano said, says little about the quality of life.

Among the factors considered were household income (Wesley Chapel was below the average of the best places), car insurance premiums (less expensive than the average), colleges and universities in the area (fewer than average), air pollution (worse), property crime (better than the average), personal crime (worse), restaurants (fewer than average), bars (fewer), libraries (fewer) and proximity to golf courses (more than average).

Morano pointed out that as Wesley Chapel grows, it will improve its score on many of those indicators.

"We have more restaurants all the time," Morano said. "We have the performing arts center (at Wesley Chapel High School), and we have a hospital coming."

Money magazine searched across the nation for the best places to live in the United States. For the most part it selected affluent suburbs outside major cities. A handful of suburbs north of Tampa were in the running, including Odessa, Lutz and Wesley Chapel. Below are the top 10 places to live. For a complete list go to http://money.cnn.com/best/bplive/index.html

- Source: CNN/Money

[Last modified July 20, 2005, 00:58:13]