Cupertino Vs. Troy, Michigan: Which is Better?

People who live in Cupertino know it’s a great city to live in, but now thanks to Money Magazine the secret’s out. In its current issue Money rated Cupertino at number 27 on its list of Top 100 Best Places to Live in America’s small cities.

Among the magazine’s reasons for putting Cupertino so high on the list was the diversity in residents, home to high-tech companies such as Apple, and the top-rated public schools.

How Cupertino got edged out by, Troy, Mich., which got the number 26 spot is puzzling. (Editor’s confession, er um, note: I grew up in a neighboring city to Troy, so there is some bias in this article, which is why it’s labeled as opinion.) Troy is a lovely city, but lacks diversity with almost 73 percent non-Hispanic whites, according to the 2010 Census.

Troy’s climate is nothing to brag about either. In the summer it’s hot and muggy, and in the winter it’s cold and snowy. Cupertino on the other hand is, well, you know how beautiful the climate is, it’s probably one of the reasons you live here.

Where Troy might have an edge over Cupertino is in its housing costs. Median housing there is $166,000, according to Money, while Cupertino comes in at number 5 in the priciest homes category with a 2011 median priced home at $890,500. (But take a look at the list, number 4 is missing. Hmmm.)

The quality, look and feel of Troy’s homes are comparable to Cupertino, and Troy has Somerset Collection, a tony mall that stomps all over Vallco. But tell us, would you rather live in expensive Cupertino and sit at number 27, or move to Troy for a great house value, Santana Row-like shopping and be counted at number 26?

Incidentally, our neighbor Mountain View is ranked number 10 in Best Places for the Rich and Single, but Money thinks Mountain View is "in the middle of California Wine Country"

(Editor’s note: To my fellow Michiganders out there, weigh in on this!)