'We're Being Found Out': Woodland Basks In The Glow Of Being Named One Of The Best Places To Live In the US
WOODLAND (CBS13) — A small town with some big accolades. The city of Woodland has now earned a spot as one of the best places to live in the country.
Liz Snyder proudly shows off her wares at Vintage House by J, her new shop on Main Street.
"We were really looking to slow down," she said.
She and her husband wanted to end their two-hour commute from Roseville. So they moved closer to his job in Woodland.
"Everybody knows everybody - and that can be good and bad, but everybody is super supportive," Snyder said.
Having grown up in a small town in the Bay, Snyder loved buying a century-old home and having a two-block walk to work. She also loved the community vibe.
"I knew about Visit Woodland. They were a big promoter of the Honey Festival," Snyder said. "They just had the C-10 car show over the weekend. It was fabulous; it probably brought 10,000 people to town, which is huge for business owners."
That buzz is what's bringing more people to Woodland. In fact, Livability.com just named the city #55 in its top 100 Best Places to Live in America list - the second-best in the state.
"We are pleasantly surprised," said Marcus Ullrich, who works with the Chamber of Commerce.
The ranking is based on things like housing healthcare, education, infrastructure and the economy.
"We're being found out - and of course we are right next to UC Davis, which is a leader in technology and research areas," Ullrich said.
But Woodland is a lot more affordable than Davis, and that's drawing in homebuyers.
"As a chamber, we are extremely proud of it and we want more businesses to know we are a definite destination to look at when they are relocating," Ullrich said.
Woodland officials will use the ranking to win more people over to a small-town pace of life that Snyder says will lead to big possibilities.
"It's still [a] very homey small town, and I think it will stay that way," she said.
The site ranked more than 2,300 cities with populations between 20,000 and 1,000,000. Roseville took the 8th spot in the list.