"We wanted to look at what the market is telling us," said Pat Regnier, senior editor. "Where are Americans actually going?"

The magazine's criteria shifts from year to year, so the list changes. Denver previously ranked among the five best big cities in 1994 and ranked fourth out of 10 in 1989.

This year, Money editors peered into each metro area to select popular neighborhoods, suburbs and "economic zones" that contributed to the growth of an area.

For Denver, Money said the top areas are the Washington Park neighborhood, the western suburb of Lakewood and Colorado Springs.

Regnier said Colorado Springs was included as part of the Denver region because it is in the same sphere of economic influence. The magazine put Colorado Springs on the list because of its rapid population growth.

Money editors said they selected Lakewood because it is for "serious skiers" who want to avoid Denver traffic to hit the slopes.

Washington Park was chosen because the neighborhood is popular with young professionals.

Thirty-year Washington Park resident Gerard Zschoche remembers the neighborhood before bulldozers came to scrape away houses for "stucco boxes."

In recent years, Zschoche was on the front lines in zoning battles with big spenders who shelled out $300,000 to buy a house and tear it down.

"There are always people with more money than sense," he said.

Still, despite his grumbling, Zschoche confirmed robust growth in home values in the neighborhood.

Zschoche said he and his wife paid $151,000 for their house 11 years ago. The three-bedroom brick Tudor-style home, which is on Race Street, is now worth $360,000, he said.

The top 10

Money magazine on Tuesday released its list of the country's best places to live, based on population growth and home values. The list in alphabetical order:

Austin, Texas
Charlotte, N.C.
Chicago
Denver
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
New York
Phoenix
San Francisco
Seattle