Rating: 
Summary: Excellent guide for relocation
Review: Having used this book for years (several editions ago!), I can heartily recommend it for people looking to relocate. It covers just about every aspect of life in various locales, from crime, climate, health care, and recreation (to name a few subjects). It presents the factors in an easily readable and understandable way.It can also be used by parents who wish to educate their children about different parts of North America (specifically the U.S. and Canada) without using a boring textbook!
Rating:
Summary: As good as possible!
Review: I agree with the reviewer who stated that "you can't quantify quality of life...". So true, but this book gives an excellent starting point for finding a good place to live. Using myself as an example, I was born, raised, and still reside in Cleveland, Ohio. I always thought it was an awful place to live. Places Rated Almanac set me straight. Who wants the awful humidity of the Gulf coast? Who wants the fearful crime rate of Miami Florida? Do I really want to pay $350,000 for 900' of living space in San Diego California? Places Rated can't answer all questions, but then again, what book can? But it does the best job possible. That's why I rate it FIVE STARS.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of Information - Terrible Format & Organization
Review: I bought this 1999 edition to replace the old 2nd edition I've had since 1985. Although the new edition has more pages, two colors, and more recent data, its format makes it very frustrating to use. An example is the way climate data are presented in this new edition. Strange graphs replace the intuitive and comprehensive tables used in the earlier edition. The tiny graphs with multiple shades of grey are difficult to interpret, and they are a definite step backwards. There still is no index, and the ridiculously simple table of contents is completely inadequate for a reference book with this much data.
Rating: 
Summary: What about Diversity?
Review: I brought this up in a letter I wrote to the authors a few years ago (pre-internet), and never got an answer. I moved over a year ago, and when I'm picking a new city or neighborhood, I look at the kinds of things most people do, such as what the weather's like, will I be able to do what I want to do for a living in this city, how bad is the traffic, will I be taxed to death, what is the quality of health care, what kind of cultural activities, how likely is it that I'll be mugged, etc. And I like the fact that this book makes that information available in an easy-to-read format for over 300 cities or so. But I look for other things, as well; namely, are there people there like me? Are there people there who have the same faith as me? Will I be able to find a church home there? Are there people there who share my cultural or ethnic background? If so, what percentage of the population are they? Would a Jewish person, gay person, Asian person, whatever person, feel comfortable in this city? Are minorities well represented in city government? How diverse are the schools? Some people want to actively find cities, and neighborhoods, with a diverse population so that their children are exposed to a variety of cultures and lifestyles. I personally wish that the Places Rated Almanac had addressed that issue when they put their book together. When I asked why this was so of the authors several years ago I got no reply. Sadly, with the new "electronic" edition of this book, it doesn't look as if things have changed much. To make a good fit, you need all the pieces of the puzzle. This book leaves out a couple of major ones.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and fact filled
Review: I found a few errors such as in the weather section. They give the yearly # of days of precipitation for each city but in most cases they are wrong. E.G. Syracuse has 92 days of precipitation. Wrong1 It has 172 days. If climate is important then one should log on to the weather sites on the web.
Rating: 
Summary: Well organized, covers many areas, a few "typos".
Review: I found this book to be very helpful in the area of comparison, that is I could easily compare the statistics for those few places that I personally had in mind. The areas that summarize a particular category are well laid out. The graphics in the Climate section are helpful, although I did notice a significant mistake (I think)... Those of you looking at the two Charlestons ( SC and WV), it looks like the Climatic graphics and statistics were switched for these two cities. Quite a shocker to see that Charleston, SC gets 32 inches of snow a year! If anyone connected to the publisher can confirm that with me, it would be appreciated. It is also very helpful to have previous editions so that you can compare changes in a locations scores for the 1997 edition vs. the 1993 or 1989 edition. I have collected all 3. Overall, a very good source.
Rating: 
Summary: Sure favors big metro areas
Review: I have been keeping up with this publication since the late 1980s. There is no doubt that a great deal of worthwhile information is presented to the reader for each metro area. However, I am bothered by the fact that the winners among metro areas always seem to be the major population centers. Smaller cities never seem to have a chance. The presumption made in the book is that the bigger cities have the advantage because they offer more culture; more to do. But how many of us live in big cities like New York or Chicago and take the cultural benefits for granted? And yet, every day is a battle with mind-numbing traffic, high crime rates, and pollution (not adequately mentioned in the book). Yet Madison, Wisconsin and Lexington, Kentucky, two of the most beautiful and livable cities I've ever seen are within relatively easy access to metro areas with a lot of culture (Madison is not very far from Milwaukee and Chicago, Lexington is fairly close to Cincinnati). And many retirees want nothing to do with a large city with all its congestion, but will be led to believe, based on the rankings in this book, that smaller cities simply are less desirable. A fascinating book in terms of data, but very skewed toward the larger metro areas.
Rating:
Summary: >hypothesis not included<
Review: I think that the previous reviewer, rudi3964@utdallas.edu, is quite absurd in his demand that the book provide for every futuristic hypothesis, per his examples. Each & every person considering a relocation has their own responsibility to review the location's sports teams, and the local's amusement parks, for potential future successes & desirability. I find the objections beyond the scope of this, or any singular relocation guide. May the book's author's biases and conclusions serve as a way to get the reader's own relocation-juices flowing, rather than throwing it out summarily just because it can't read your mind or your future.
Rating:
Summary: What about personal property (car) taxes?
Review: I was shocked when I recently moved to South Carolina and found that the state has a personal property tax on cars. Consequently, it is not uncommon for the Annual Property Tax on a newer car to Exceed a Thousand Dollars ($1000.00 +). This is a considerable tax burden that does not appear to be covered in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Missing the most important factors
Review: I would have to totally agree with the reader from Phoenix who stated, "The problem that I have with PRA is the lack of an index on the culture or 'mood' of the cities involved." Social climate is a most definite factor in deciding upon a move. Why would someone of a liberal mind-set want to move to a "bible-belt" community, or vice-versa. Granted this is a category which could not be given ratings...but the information would still be welcome. Even more importantly, though, I was amazed that this new version lacks some EXTREMELY valuable information that was in my earlier (1989) edition. Missing is information on location of nuclear power plants, as well as general environmental issues, such as pollution and ragweed counts. Instead of being dropped, this information should have been expanded to include nuclear waste sites, and pollen and mold counts. Frankly, I would find this type of information far more important than how many 5-star restaurants a town has, or how many bowling alleys. All in all, I think better information is available elsewhere (including the net). That's why after glancing through it, I left it on the bookstore shelf. I suggest you do the same.
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