Towns With World Class Hunting and Fishing

Outdoor Life magazine has identified their top 200 towns for outdoorsmen. Today more and more people are opting for quality of life over other many other factors as they select a place to live. The magazine states that "Demographers say America's small towns are disappearing as youngsters migrate to cities for work or college, then move to suburbs to raise families. But our research indicates that small towns are thriving, especially those trade centers with populations between 5,000 and 15,000. These are the places where rural landscapes abut the city limits, where wildlife habitat is healthy and intact, where there are plenty of "retail therapy" opportunities. And where you can always find a 'hunter's breakfast' on the cafe menu."

OL's staff evaluated towns with a population over 4000 people. They rated them from a hunting and fishing perspective as well as on the overall quality of life the towns offered. Some of the factors considered were the growth rate of the local economy, the unemployment rate, the degree of taxation, the time it takes to commute to work, the crime rate, housing prices, median household income and even the variety of cultural opportunities within easy driving distance.

The top ten towns were: Mountain Home, AR; Lewiston, ID; Sheridan, WY; Cody, WY; Pocatello, ID; Lewistown, MT; Marquette, MI; Dillon, MT; Page, AZ; and Bismarck, ND. For a complete listing of the top 200 towns for the outdoorsman click here.