Litchfield Park comes in as our No. 1 town for scoring well in almost all of our criteria, but particularly when it comes to a low crime rate, a high median income, high home value, and some of the best high school diploma attainment rates in the state. Starting with crime rate, Litchfield Park’s is 81 percent lower than the state average, which means it is one of the safest communities in Arizona. Residents here have a median household income of $73,996, which is 63 percent higher than the state average and comes in handy when you consider the home value here is an average of $336,100—88 percent higher than the state average. The cherry on top is the education system in Litchfield Park. Residents here have a high school diploma attainment rate of 96 percent—that’s 27 percent greater than the state’s average.

Just southeast of Phoenix, AZ, Gilbert scored highly for its high population density, high median income of $79,989, and an impressive high school diploma attainment rate of 94 percent. Of course, we’re not the first to recognize Gilbert’s greatness. In 2010, Gilbert was selected as one of the Best Places to Live in the Nation by GreatSchools.org, and was chosen as the “safest municipality in Arizona and 24th safest in the nation” by Washington, DC-based CQ Press. While Gilbert may not be next door to any of Arizona’s National Parks, it’s only a short drive away from the Lost Dutchman and Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Parks.

Fountain Hills, so named after the towering fountain in the center of the city, comes in as our No. 3 city for scoring well in several of our criteria. This city gets an A+ in education, with a high school diploma attainment rate 25 percent higher than the state’s average, and even more points for its high median household income of $75,083 and high median home value of $426,500. Fountain Hills also gets some major bonus points when it comes to spending time in nature. In case you’re not from the area, Arizona is the land of sunshine, and with an average summer temperature of 93 degrees, Fountain Hills is the perfect amount of heat for any good Southwesterner. It is also only a short drive away from one of Arizona’s beautiful parks, Tonto National Forest—a wonderful place for Fountain Hills’ hunters, fishermen, hikers, and picnickers to spend a Saturday.