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Top 50 rank: 17
Population: 49,863
If you don't mind cold winters, there's plenty to recommend this family-friendly Twin Cities suburb. There's a wide range of affordable homes: The median sale price is around $200,000.
Cars are still the de facto transport here, but the city recently added a $112 million rapid-transit bus system that connects the downtown to area attractions like the Mall of America. Apple Valley is also home to the Minnesota Zoo and 53 parks. --H.L.
Apple Valley, MN | Town stats |
| Median family income (per year) | $93,210 |
| Job growth % (2010-2012) | 2.03% |
| Median home price (2012) | $179,000 |
| Reading test scores (% above/below average) | 7.1% |
| Math test scores (% above/below average) | 7.9% |
| Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) | 13 |
| Property crime incidents (per 1,000) | 223 |
Financials | |
| Median family income (per year) | $93,210 |
| Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted) | $85,947 |
| Sales tax | 7.13% |
| State income tax rate (highest bracket) | 7.85%I |
| State income tax rate (lowest bracket) | 5.35%I |
| Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state) | $1,594 |
| Job growth % (2010-2012) | 2.03% |
Housing |
| Median home price (2012) | $179,000 |
| Average property taxes(2012) | $2,722 |
Education |
| Colleges, universities and professional schools (within 30 miles) | 40 |
| Reading test scores (% above/below state average) | 7.1% |
| Test scores math (% above/below average) | 7.9% |
| % students attending public/private schools (located within town limits) | 99.4/0.6 |
Quality of life |
| Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good) | 96.7% |
| Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) | 13 |
| Property crime incidents (per 1,000) | 223 |
| Median commute time (in minutes) | 22.6 |
| % population with commute 45 mins. or longer | 11.0% |
| % population walk or bike to work | 1.8% |
Leisure and culture |
| Movie theaters (within 15 miles) | 34 |
| Restaurants (within 15 miles) | 2,044 |
| Bars (within 15 miles) | 191 |
| Public golf courses (within 30 miles) | 192 |
| Libraries (within 15 miles) | 53 |
| Museums (accredited by AAM; within 30 miles) | 11 |
| Ski resorts (within 100 miles) | N.A. |
| Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) | 4.5 |
Weather |
| Annual rainfall (inches) | 29.41 |
| % clear days in the area | 54% |
| High temp in July ° F | 83.6° |
| Low temp in Jan ° F | 3.8° |
Meet the neighbors |
| Median age | 37.4 |
| Completed at least some college (% of residents) | 73.5% |
| Married % | 56.8% |
| Divorced % | 6.9% |
| Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity) | 68.5 |
