When a girlfriend told our circle of friends that she was moving to Lake St. Louis, we all grumbled. Our group lives in West County and were used to her living a short walk away. “Why can’t you stay closer?” We asked. “Why would you want to live there?” (Not that any of us thought there was something wrong with Lake St. Louis. Just that we didn’t want our beloved friend to move!)

Well, now we know why! Lake Saint Louis has not only made Money magazine’s top 100 list of the Best Places To Live. The city is ranked #9 nine, according to the August edition of the mag.  

According to the profile in Money  Lake Saint Louis’ property crime incidents are very low. And although the median family income was listed at $95,139 (lower than the Top 100 average) the job growth percentage category is quite impressive. Between 2000 and 2009, the city had a 38.48 percentage increase in jobs which is quite a bit more than the 19.58 percent average.

Median home prices are low. The average on the list totaled $262,148 while in Lake Saint Louis the average is $183,635.

Also? Math and reading test scores are much higher than most of the top 100 cities. The city of 14,000 also enjoys a high quality of healthcare. The nearby SSM St. Joseph-West Hospital is rated in a top 10 health care provider listing.

For the full review, see money.cnn.com.