Top Outdoorsman Towns Named By Outdoor Life Magazine
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Top Outdoorsman Towns Named By Outdoor Life Magazine





New York, NY—March 12, 2008—Outdoor Life magazine ranks the top towns for hunters and anglers to live in its April 2008 issue, on newsstands March 20. The magazine used extensive data to score 200 towns on available sporting opportunities and quality-of-life. Mountain Home, Ark., population 12,215 took top honors on the magazine’s “Best Places to Live” list. The magazine also names top towns in each region of the country and top towns for whitetail hunters. For complete details on all 200 towns, please visit www.OutdoorLife.com/bestplacestolive

“There are a lot of outdoorsmen looking to put down roots in an area with more campsites then condos,” says Todd Smith, Editor-in-Chief of Outdoor Life. “We went straight to facts when putting this list together to make sure we got the best options. With hard data backing our rankings I know sportsmen aren’t going to be disappointed.”

Laid-back Mountain Home, Ark., located in the Ozarks Valley scored the top spot on Outdoor Life’s list. Mountain Home is the eastern most town to break into the top ten, with a high percentage of Rocky Mountain locations dominating the list. Mountain Home’s score was elevated by its close proximity to world-class warm and cold water fishing in the White River and Bull Shoals and turkey, deer, duck and bear hunting in the nearby Ozark National Forest. According to Outdoor Life, Mountain Home was also bolstered by a low cost of living, excellent schools and hospitals, and a vibrant retail economy.

Lewistown, Idaho took the No. 2 spot for steelhead fishing and terrific upland bird hunting. Wyoming took two spots in the top ten with Sheridan, Wyo., at No. 3 and Cody, Wyo., claiming No. 4. Legendary trout fishing, high-country elk, and trophy mule deer secured the No. 5 spot for Pocatello, Idaho. Lewistown, Mont., at No. 6 offers million-dollar views on a blue-collar budget and a full spectrum of hunting opportunities. More than 100 lakes are within a half-hour of Marquette, Mich., at No. 7. Dillon, Mont., at No. 8 boasts the lowest population, 4,056, of the top ten towns. Arizona’s only entry to the top ten Page, Arizona comes in at No. 9. Rounding out the top ten is Bismarck, N.D., with species for every interest and season.

Outdoor Life’s “Best Places to Live”

Mountain Home, Ark.
Lewiston, Idaho
Sheridan, Wyo.
Cody, Wyo.
Pocatello, Idaho
Lewistown, Mont.
Marquette, Mich.
Dillon, Mont.
Page, Ariz.
Bismarck, N.D.
Richfield, Utah
Logan, Utah
Livingston, Mont.
Fort Collins, Colo.
Cedar City, Utah
Helena, Mont.
Rifle, Colo.
Williston, N.D.
Bemidji, Minn.
Rogers, Ark.

While Outdoor Life’s “Best Places to Live” concentrates on overall hunting and fishing opportunities the magazine also features a special list for whitetail deer hunting fanatics. The “Top 10 Whitetail Towns” list is populated by a large number of states east of the Rocky Mountains with Kirksville, Mo., taking top honors.

Outdoor Life’s Top 10 Whitetail Towns

Kirkville, Mo.
Orofino, Idaho
Arcadia, Wis.
Union City, Tenn.
Barre, Mass.
Guthrie, Texas
Parsons, Kan.
Clanton, Ala.
Sidney, Mont.
Waynesboro, Va.

Outdoor Life’s “Best Places to Live” also names top regional choices for sportsmen. In the Northeast Burlington, Vt., a vibrant college town with outstanding bass, duck and moose opportunities took top honors. Located between the Sierra Nevada and Warner mountains Susanville, Calif., came in first for the Pacific Coast. Arkansas scored another win with Rogers, Ark., coming in second behind Mountain Home in the Southern region. For complete regional rankings, please see www.OutdoorLife.com/bestplacestolive.

For detailed rankings including all 200 towns, additional regional lists, and more, visit www.OutdoorLife.com/bestplacestolive. The website also includes a comment section for sportsmen and –women to sound off on their favorite outdoors paradise and thoughts on the rankings.

Outdoor Life spent months compiling data for the “Best Places to Live” combing through every population center with more then 4,000 residents. Towns were ranked based on more than 20 criteria with sporting opportunities given slightly heavier emphasis than quality-of-life of life rankings. Sporting factors considered included: fishing and hunting opportunities; trophy quality of sporting opportunities; proximity to public land; restrictiveness of gun laws; and whether the fishing and hunting is good year round. Quality-of-Life factors considered included: growth rate of local economy; unemployment rate; average commute time; medical facilities; crime rate; housing prices; median household income; and the variety of cultural and educational opportunities within easy driving distance.

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