The website Money.com listed Kirkland No. 5 on its 2014 list of Money’s Best Places to Live in America for cities with a population of 50,000-300,000.

For the annual ranking, Money looked for places with the optimal combination of economic strength, job growth, affordable housing, safety, schools, accessible healthcare, arts and leisure and ease of living.

“This year a couple of trends stuck out. The nation’s strong but uneven housing recovery sent home prices sky-high in certain areas, taking some otherwise wonderful places in the Northeast and on the West Coast out of contention,” wrote Money editors in a release. “Then there’s the unstoppable rise of technology, which is driving the growth of high-skill, well-paying jobs in our top scorers.”

Only McKinney, Texas, Maple Grove, Minn., Carmel, Ind. and Castle Rock, Colo. were ranked ahead of Kirkland.

The article states: “Seattle’s eastside suburbs can blur together into a pleasant mass of good schools, great jobs, and family-friendly neighborhoods. Kirkland, on the other hand, ticks all those ­boxes while also offering a unique, lively downtown on the shores of Lake Washington.”

The article goes on to mention the Kirkland Google campus, proximity to Microsoft in Redmond and Go Daddy as a draw for the those seeking jobs in the area. All of Kirkland’s parks were a big draw for the editors. But a lack of affordable housing hurt Kirkland in the poll, with the average three-bedroom home going for $440,000.

To read the entire article go here: http://time.com/money/3312311/carmel-indiana-best-places-to-live/.