What Makes Saline So Great?

By now, you’ve heard Saline was ranked among CNN/Money Magazine’s top 100 best places to live in the country in 2007. The Saline Reporter wants to celebrate that accomplishment with a newspaper supplement highlighting 59 things that make Saline great.

Here’s how you can help. We are looking for nominations from the community. What do you think makes Saline great? We will use these suggestions to compile the editorial content for the tab and video coverage for our Web site.

From Saline’s magnificent parks to its top-rated hospital and outstanding school system, what makes Saline such a great place to live in? Along with your answer, explain why you consider parks, for example, something that makes Saline one of the top places in the country to live in. Share a personal experience as to why you picked that particular aspect of the community.

We also plan to feature the top 10 vote-getters in a ranking and highlight them in the opening article with quotes from city officials, local leaders and residents about the biggest draws to living in Saline.

Possible categories include recreation, entertainment, professional services, commercial, retail, industrial base, government services, community amenities such as parks, nonprofit organizations, cultural opportunities, retirement communities, job opportunities, proximity to Ann Arbor and Detroit Metro.

The plan is to celebrate Saline’s honor before the new list comes out this summer. Saline holds the distinction of being the only Michigan city to make the list twice. Maybe 2008 will bring an even higher distinction.

In compiling its list, CNN/Money Magazine editors focused on smaller places that offered the best combination of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do, and a "real sense of community."

“Saline knows a lot about hometown pride,” the editors wrote. “The area is blossoming into its own, but also reaps benefits from Ann Arbor, its bigger neighbor.”

CNN/Money began with 2,876 cities with populations above 7,500 and under 50,000. They screened out retirement-oriented communities, places where income is less than 90 percent or more than 180 percent of the state median, and towns that are more than 95 percent Caucasian. The editors then eliminated towns with low education scores, high crime rates, declines or sharp increases in population, projected job losses or lack of access to airports or teaching hospitals.

The remaining 466 towns were ranked based on job, income, and cost-of-living data; housing affordability; school quality; arts and leisure opportunities; ease of living; health-care access; and racial diversity. Towns falling into the top 70 were further broken down by job markets, housing prices, schools and ambiance.

To nominate something for the "59 Things that Make Saline Great" newspaper supplement, e-mail Editor Michelle Rogers at editor@salinereporter.com by March 6.