Bellevue Beaten by Redmond in Money's 2012 Best Places to Live List

Updated 12:19 p.m.: to include info on 2010 ranking.

Congratulations to our neighbor, Redmond, which has earned a spot in the top five of Money Magazine's latest ranking of the "Best Places to Live" in America.

Bellevue made 40th place in the list -- four places behind Bellevue, NE (perhaps a recount is in order?).

That's a far cry from 2010, when Money called Bellevue the fourth best place in the country. (Ed. note: Thanks to Bryan Cyr for reminding me on our Facebook page what place Bellevue made in 2010.)

The annual list, which compares smaller cities all across the country, was released Monday. The magazine cited Redmond's low crime rate, quality schools, and variety of shops and restaurants as major reasons for the fifth-place ranking. 

“A lot of people know Redmond because Microsoft's headquarters are there, but there’s a lot more to Redmond than Microsoft and Bill Gates,” Donna Rosato said in an interview on NBC's Today Show.

Bellevue was only other Washington city to break the top 100 of this year's ranking. Carmel, Ind., earned the top spot on the list. 

The full list is available online and will also be published in Money's September issue, which hits newsstands this Friday.

How do you feel about being upstaged by our neighbor? Could you make an argument that Bellevue is actually a better place to live -- or is Money Magazine right? Tell us in the comments below.