At one time Modesto was the auto theft capital of the United States so seeing that it is considered by a major news magazine as one of the top 100 places to live in the United States (and top 100 places to retire) was a pleasant surprise. In 1970’s parlance… Modesto, you’ve come a long way baby. Before we start thumping our collective chests too much we were 99th out of 100 but it’s still a lot better than being in the bottom 100.

Of all the characteristics the magazine aggregated to come up with their rankings (desirability, job market, value, quality of life and net migration) Modesto scored highest in desirability. Modesto was noted for attracting “those looking for the balance created by a culturally rich city center that’s surrounded by quiet residential neighborhoods.” They went on to say that “Downtown offers lots of entertainment, from concerts to comedy showcases, in both large and intimate venues. Meanwhile, the peaceful residential areas were the childhood homes of several big-name entertainers like filmmaker George Lucas and actors Jeremy Renner and Timothy Olyphant.”

For a city that used be called the derogatory term “Methdesto” in the mid-90’s, making this list is indicative of the efforts by many to spruce up downtown by cleaning up crime and attracting business, gourmet restaurants and new residents.