Gaithersburg Makes List of America’s Best Small Cities

Gaithersburg residents have a reason to brag: They're ranked 23rd on CNN Money's list of America’s Best Small Cities.

The list was published at Money.CNN.com.           

Carmel, IN, was named the top town. Germantown ranked 24th. Other regional cities to make the list were:

• Reston, VA (No. 7)
• Columbia/ Ellicott City, MD (No. 8)
• Centreville, VA (No. 17)
• Waldorf, MD, (No. 20)

According to CNN, places with populations between 50,000 and 300,000 were ranked based on home affordability, safety, school quality, health care, arts and leisure, diversity and “several ease-of-living criteria.”

Screened out were towns with median family incomes of more than 200 percent or less than 85 percent of the state average; places with more than 95 percent of one race and those with “poor education and crime scores,” according to CNN, which posted its methodology online.

The rankings also excluded retirement communities and places with “major job losses,” according to CNN.