Suwanee, Georgia (pop. 11,200) was named one of the America's Best Places to Live (top ten no less!) in Money magazine's latest issue. Despite what Republican conventional wisdom might tell us, it isn't low-property taxes or suburban sprawl that make it such a special place to live. To the contrary:

Six years ago the residents of Suwanee voted to more than double their property taxes. The payoff: a boost from 28 acres of green space to more than 270, and a feeling of investment in their hometown. "People here participate in the community in a very thorough way," says resident Dave Williams. . . "We're blanketed with parks to use," says Brenda Everson, a mother of three boys.

Suwanee seems to have jumped on the mixed-use, "live, work, play" bandwagon with a vengeance.

Built on a heavily trafficked downtown corner, [Town Center] meshes park space, retail and office properties and housing into one multiuse plaza - and residents have embraced it in a big way.

What have they sacrificed? Apparently nothing. "Housing is reasonable -- you can get into a nice four-bedroom for $250,000 -- and schools are topnotch." Add in the high-tech jobs available nearby (Dish Network, Google, Hewlett-Packard among others), and it sounds like a progressive dream.