Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011)

This article, the forty-fourth in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in Nevada based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, "places" are incorporated municipalities and census-designated places (CDP) with populations greater than 2,000--more than half of Nevada's communites are CDP.

Among the ten best places to live in Nevada, four are suburbs of Carson City, three are suburbs of Reno, two are suburbs of Las Vegas, and one is a suburb of Elko. By county, four of the best places to live in Nevada are located in Washoe County, three in Douglas County, two in Clark County, and one in Elko County.

After reading "Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011)," return to this link to read "Largest Cities in Nevada (2011)." A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

For the culmination of the 50-state series, read "Best Places to Live in America (2011)."

1. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Verdi-Mogul, NV (Washoe County)

Population: 2,343

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $109,687
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 46.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.4*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 36 miles SSE
Reno, NV: 7 miles ENE

2. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Incline Village-Crystal Bay, NV (Washoe County)

Population: 8,719

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $80,275
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.4*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 26 miles SE
Reno, NV: 35 miles NNE

3. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Summerlin South, NV (Clark County)

Population: 17,651

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $89,981
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 47.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.95*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 435 miles NW
Las Vegas, NV: 12 miles E

4. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Spanish Springs, NV (Washoe County)

Population: 13,940

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $91,289
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 21.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.4*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 41 miles S
Reno, NV: 12 miles SSW

5. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Spring Creek, NV (Elko County)

Population: 12,485

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $95,338
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 17.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.22*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 321 miles SW
Elko, NV: 15 miles NW

6. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Johnson Lane, NV (Douglas County)

Population: 6,656

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $84,597
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 29.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.51*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 13 miles NNW
Reno, NV: 45 miles N

7. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Minden, NV (Douglas County)

Population: 3,182

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $72,847
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 31.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.51*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 15 miles N
Reno, NV: 47 miles N

8. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Lemmon Valley-Golden Valley, NV (Washoe County)

Population: 6,777

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $74,754
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 17.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.4*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 42 miles S
Reno, NV: 11 miles S

9. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Enterprise, NV (Clark County)

Population: 106,328

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $72,427
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 26.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.85*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 440 miles NW
Las Vegas, NV: 9 miles NNE

10. Best Places to Live in Nevada (2011) - Indian Hill, NV (Douglas County)

Population: 5,562

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $67,804
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 24.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.51*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Carson City, NV: 6 miles N
Reno, NV: 38 miles N

More Articles from J.C. Grant

"Average ACT Scores by State (2010)"
"Average SAT Scores by State (2010)"
"Largest U.S. Cities: Population Size (2011)"
"Most_Dangerous_Cities_in_America - Murder Rates"
"State Education Rankings: Graduation Rates for High School, College, and Grad/Professional School"
"State Education Rankings: SAT Scores"

Source(s):

"All Cities in Nevada," City-Data.com
"2009 ACS 1-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2007-2009 ACS 3-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2006-2008 ACS 3-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2005-2009 ACS 5-Year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau of Investigation