Fargo has been named one of the best places to live, raise a family, work and do business by Forbes magazine's publisher, Rich Karlgaard.  "Fargo is a friendly, fresh-air place to raise a family.  Schools are among the best in the Midwest and the economy is thumping."  Karlgaard lists Fargo among the 25 best IQ Campuses for emerging centers of biotechnology and information technology. 

      Fargo-Moorhead secured the spot of America's twelfth safest city in Morgan Quitno's 2005 City Crime Ranking.  The study examines cities with populations of over 75,000 in the U.S. and bases its findings on six basic crime categories:  murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. 

      Fargo-Moorhead ranks third among small market MSAs in the "Best U.S. Cities for Relocating a Family" study conducted by the Worldwide Employee Relocation Council (ERC) and Primary Relocation, a Tennessee-based relocation firm.  The study includes standard livability benchmarks like tax burdens, cost of living and crime rates and factors that are vital to new residents, such as how long it takes to qualify for in-state tuition.  

      Fargo-Moorhead ranked 14th in the nation for "Cleanest U.S. Cities for Long-Term Paricle Pollution" and made the "Cleanest U.S. Cities for Ozone Air Pollution" list -- as reported in the American Lung Association's State of the Air 2005 report. 

      The InCharge Institute of America ranks Fargo-Moorhead as the 8th best community among small market MSAs for personal "financial fitness."  The "Consumer financial Fitness in Metropolitan Areas" study looks at how different poplation centers measure up in offering the economic climate and conditions that promote financial fitness for its citizens. 

      Expansion Management magazine gave Fargo-Moorhead a "Five Star Community" rating, the highest-level, in its annual Quality of Life Quotient.  Components included affordable housing, available work force, standard of living, education levels, educational facilities, unemployment rates and peace of mind described as the relative tranquility.

      Fargo-Moorhead was rated the second least stressful small metro area in the U.S. in a report published by Sperling's Best Places.   The index is comprised of different factors associated with stress, including unemployment rates, divorce rates, commute times, violent crimes, property crimes, suicide rates and others.