Gamers have been awaiting the worldwide release of Blizzard's "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft," a turn-based card game for the iPad. 

The game came out yesterday, and it's already dominating the charts: It's the No. 1 most-downloaded app in 34 countries, including the US. It's also the No. 1 most-downloaded game in 36 countries, according to App Annie.

Analyst Sterne Agee estimates that the game will bring $30 million in revenue this year. 

Like Candy Crush Saga, the game is free to play but includes in-app purchases. It hasn't bumped Candy Crush from the top-grossing iPad game charts, but it is in the Top 5 in two countries. Then again, it's only been available worldwide for a day. 

The game debuted on the PC earlier this year, and Android and iPhone versions are on their way in the second half of this year, according to Touch Arcade.

SEE ALSO: There's a San Francisco version of the game '2048,' and I like it even better than the original

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London is the most important city in the world for the rich, according to the latest Wealth Report from real estate consulting firm Knight Frank. But it won't hold onto its title for long.

According to the report, New York is set to overtake London as the top city for the wealthy in the next decade. And Asian cities like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai will also become more important over the next 10 years.

Knight Frank determined its eighth-annual "global cities" ranking based on four factors: economic activity, political power, quality of life, and influence and power. It also took into account each city's population of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (those with $30 million or more in net assets, excluding their primary residence), and responses from an attitude survey of wealth advisors around the world.

"Our results suggest that by 2024 New York should surpass London as its share of the world’s UHNWIs rises and the city becomes increasingly important to Chinese, Russian and even European UHNWIs," the Knight Frank report concludes.

The chart below shows which cities were most important last year and this year, and the forecasted ranking for 2024.

The report also notes an impending "power struggle" among Asia's top cities. "One of the key differences, however, between Asia and Europe and North America is Asia’s lack of a single dominant city," the report says. "This is why we are now seeing the power struggle ... with Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and even Beijing all contenders for the title of future leading Asian city."

Hong Kong will eventually overtake Singapore because "the dominance of China is unavoidable and Hong Kong’s unofficial role as the portal between its big brother and the rest of the world will ensure the growing dominance of the city over the next decade," Knight Frank concludes.

Knight Frank also identified the five most important cities in each region of the globe, as well as five future "hotspots." Sao Paulo leads the "hotspot" ranking, as its population of ultra-wealthy individuals is set to rise in the next decade.

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The best public high school in the country is Dallas-area School for the Talented and Gifted, according to a new ranking from U.S. News and World Report.

According to U.S. News, TAG students often conduct research with local universities and are required to complete "a minimum of 11 AP courses" for graduation. TAG was one of two Dallas Independent School District high schools that made the list's top 20.

With just 14 teachers and 240 students — about 80 in each grade — TAG is a comparatively small high school. It is also a diverse student body, with minority students making up 58% of the school and 30% of the students coming from economically disadvantaged households.

To compile their ranking, U.S. News evaluated schools on average student performance relative to others in their state, disadvantaged student performance, and college-readiness performance. Read the full methodology here.

Here are the top 20 public high schools in the country below:

1. School for the Talented and Gifted — Dallas, Texas
2. BASIS Scottsdale — Scottsdale, Arizona
3. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology — Lawrenceville, Georgia
4. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — Alexandria, Virginia
5. BASIS Tuscon North — Tucson, Arizona
6. Pine View School — Osprey, Florida
7. University High School — Tucson, Arizona
8. School of Science and Engineering Magnet — Dallas, Texas
9. International Academy — Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
10. Oxford Academy — Cypress, California
11. Biotechnology High School — Freehold, New Jersey
12. Stanton College Preparatory School — Jacksonville, Florida
13. International Community School — Kirkland, Washington
14. Maine School of Science & Mathematics — Limestone, Maine
15. Academy of Aerospace and Engineering — Hartford, Connecticut
16. Academic Magnet High School — North Charleston, South Carolina
17. International School — Bellevue, Washington
18. Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School — Montgomery, Alabama
19. Design & Architecture Senior High — Miami, Florida
20. High Technology High School — Lincroft, New Jersey

See the full list at U.S. News and World Report >>

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With globalization, climate change, and social and economical challenges, today’s world cities need to adapt like never before.

The IESE Business School in Spain is out with its annual Cities in Motion Index (ICIM), which ranks the world’s best ("smartest") cities — those that have the highest levels of innovation, sustainability, and quality of life. This year, Tokyo came in first with its impressive public management, technology, economy, and the ability to attract talent from all over the world.

To establish the ranking, researchers studied 135 cities across 55 countries, and based their results on over 50 indicators along 10 different dimensions including governance, public management, urban planning, technology, environment, international outreach, social cohesion, mobility and transportation, human capital (ability to attract talent), and economy. (You can read more about the categories and methodology here.)

Of the top 20 cities, 10 are European (London, Paris, Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Zürich, Basel, and Geneva), six are in the U.S. (New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore), three are in Asia (Tokyo, Seoul, and Osaka), and one is Oceanian (Sydney). Below is the full list of the top 20 cities:

1. Tokyo
2. London
3. New York
4. Zürich
5. Paris
6. Geneva
7. Basel
8. Osaka
9. Seoul
10. Oslo
11. Philadelphia
12. Los Angeles
13. Dallas
14. Copenhagen
15. Eindhoven
16. Amsterdam
17. Sydney
18. Stockholm
19. Chicago
20. Baltimore

Out of all 135 cities researched, Barcelona is the metropolis that made the best progress overall, moving from 63rd to 51st place in only two years, according to IESE. Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic ranked last, mostly due to low ratings in transportation, technology, human capital, and economy. 

After Santo Domingo, the bottom cities were mostly in Brazil, including Fortaleza (133), Recife (132), Brasilia (131), Belo Horizonte (129), Porto Alegre (128), and Salvador (127). Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, was ranked 134, La Paz, Bolivia, was ranked 130, and Caracas, Venezuela, was ranked 126 to round out the bottom 10 cities.

You can also see an interactive map of the cities in each country by going to the IESE Cities In Motion Index 2014 website.

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Now that it's almost summer, food trucks are about to start rolling onto streets across America.

“Food trucks are popular due to their convenience, adaptability, and low barrier of entry,” Ross Resnick, founder of Roaming Hunger, a website that keeps tabs on all things street food, told Business Insider. “Although food trucks do not have the décor that a traditional restaurant might have, food trucks make up for it by offering interesting ways to deliver food to people in concentrated areas.”

According to Roaming Hunger’s database, there has been a 197% increase in number of food trucks nationally from 2011 to 2013. In major markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, food trucks seem to be everywhere. But turns out, some unexpected cities are leading the boom in the mobile restaurant industry.

We asked Resnick and his team to provide us with numbers for each of the 32 U.S. cities he covers for Roaming Hunger, not including street food carts or hot dog stands. And though certain cities like Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Austin lead the pack when it came to the sheer number of food trucks (269, 172, and 156 food trucks, respectively), when we factored in populations, Orlando turned out to have the most food trucks per resident.

Orlando was followed by Miami, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, and Austin to round out the top five.

New York — the city that Business Insider anticipated to be the mecca for food trucks — not only came in 6th for number of food trucks (110, compared to Los Angeles’s 269), but was also the lowest-ranking city on the entire list once its enormous population was factored in. For every 100,000 people, New York only had 1.3 food trucks.

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New Yorkers, prepare to be surprised: The Big Apple is nowhere on ZocDoc's list of cities with the highest-rated doctors in the country. The offbeat city of Portland, Oregon, is ranked number one.

Patients who book appointments through ZocDoc are able to review their doctors online, and city rankings were calculated based on three criteria: wait time, bedside manner, and overall ranking. All doctors with at least 15 reviews were included, and some cities did better for certain kinds of doctors, as you can see on the map above. (Los Angeles has the highest-rated dentists.)

Here are the top 10 cities for patient satisfaction, ranked:

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Austin, Texas
3. Boston, Massachusetts
4. Seattle, Washington
5. St. Louis, Missouri
6. San Diego, California
7. Chicago, Illinois
8. San Francisco, California
9. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10. Los Angeles, California

While it's interesting to see where people seem to be most satisfied with their doctors, this data should not be taken as a ranking of which cities have the best doctors. Residents of certain cities may be easier to please than others, or simply more likely to give more stars in online reviews. The very same doctors might get better reviews if they moved to different cities and had different patients — it's impossible to tell.

In addition, a remarkably skilled doctor might be rude to patients and earn a lower rating, while someone who fumbles behind the scenes but charms patients could actually do quite well.

"Satisfaction rankings grade physicians on inappropriate metrics," argues William Sullivan, an attending physician in a Chicago, at KevinMD.com. "Bedside manner is an important part of patient care, but when patients come to an emergency department with an emergency condition, first and foremost they want a competent physician who delivers quality medical care."

Still, bedside manner is often a defining part of a patient's experience — and the doctors in Portland, Oregon seem to be doing something right.

SEE ALSO: 'Great' Surgeons Who Bully Med Students Put Us All At Risk

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Financial services professionals appear to be seeking the relative stability of a career in large U.S. institutions, with Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and BlackRock topping the ranking of desirable firms to work for, according the results of a recent eFinancialCareers survey on career aspirations.

This is not surprising – Goldman and JPMorgan regularly battle for the top spots in the global investment banking league tables, they’re still paying bonuses predominantly in cash (even up to $1m) and are among the few banks not to have retreated from any business areas.

Given the option of working for any organisation, financial services professionals responding to the survey chose these two banks over any other firm. BlackRock, meanwhile, is the world’s largest asset management firm, with over $4.4 trillion in assets under management, and has been consistently adding to its headcount over the past couple of years.

Less obvious entrants to the top ten are HSBC, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, UBS and Barclays, however.

Click here to read more at eFinancial Careers >

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China has the best schools of any major emerging economy, according to new list from QS ranking the top universities in BRICS countries.

BRICS is an economic term used to categorize the growing economics of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Each BRICS country except India was represented in QS' top 10, with China taking six of the top 10 spots.

QS ranked China's Tsinghua University as the best university of the BRICS countries. A similar list last year from Times Higher Education that included the BRICS and 17 other emerging economies also included several Chinese universities.

According to QS, their methodology included eight indicators and attempted "to assess universities' performance in four key areas: research, teaching, employability and international outlook."

Here are the top 10 BRICS universities, via QS:

1. Tsinghua University — China
2. Peking University — China
3. Lomonosov Moscow State University — Russia
4. University of Science and Technology of China — China
5. Fudan University — China
6. Nanjing University — China
7. Universidade de São Paulo — Brazil
8. Shanghai Jiao Tong University — China
9. Universidade Estadual de Campinas — Brazil
10. University of Cape Town — South Africa

[NOTE: Universidade Estadual de Campinas and University of Cape Town are tied for ninth place on QS' list]

SEE ALSO: The Top 10 Universities In Emerging Economies

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Nowadays, most of us sign our names on checks and documents in plain ol’ cursive.

But some signatures are way better than others, whether they’re elaborate illustrations, cool designs, or simply gorgeous handwriting.

We’ve chosen the 17 famous people with the coolest signatures in all of history. Keep scrolling to see the signatures, from legendary Argentinian soccer player Diego Maradona to German artist Albrecht Dürer.

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The US Navy has promoted a woman to the rank of a four-star admiral for the first time in its 238-year history, a milestone for females in the American military.

In a ceremony on Tuesday, Michelle Howard was promoted to vice chief of naval operations, the number two job in the service, after having already shattered barriers in previous posts in the navy.

Howard, 54, is known for commanding a counter-piracy task force in the Gulf of Aden that oversaw the 2009 rescue of a commercial cargo ship skipper, Captain Richard Phillips, who was abducted by Somali pirates.

The rescue involving Navy SEALs was later depicted in a film starring Tom Hanks.

"If you don’t believe today was a first, when I called to order four-star shoulder boards for women, they didn't exist," Howard said during her promotion ceremony.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said Howard had earned her promotion through "a brilliant naval career" and hailed it as "an historic first."

"She will bear the burden of a role model and she is ready to bear that very well," said Navy chief Admiral Jonathan Greenert.

Howard has blazed a trail since graduating from the Naval Academy in 1982.

She was the first African-American woman to command an American naval ship in 1999, taking the helm of the USS Rushmore, a dock landing vessel that transports amphibious vehicles.

Although she is the first female four-star admiral in the navy, the US Army and Air Force already have had women serve as four-star officers.

The promotion follows a recent decision by commanders to open up submarines to female officers and allow women to perform some combat jobs that were previously closed to female ground troops.

Since 1993, women have been allowed to serve on warships and fly fighter jets.

Howard was one of a small number of women who attended the US Naval Academy in the early 1980s. But women made up 25 percent of this year's graduating class at the academy, an all-time high.

The promotion ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery's Women in Military Service for America memorial.

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Harvard University is the best university in the world, according to a new list from the Center for World University Rankings.

The CWUR listed Harvard at the top of seven of its eight criteria, including quality of education, alumni employment, influence, and broad impact. Harvard ranked second in CWUR's patent list, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took the top spot.

While the 2,000-university list represents schools from across the globe, eight of the CWUR's top 10 universities are in the U.S. The other two top 10 schools — the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford — are in the U.K.

The CWUR is based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and claims to be "the only global university ranking that measures the quality of education and training of students as well as the prestige of the faculty members and the quality of their research without relying on surveys and university data submissions."

Here are the top 10 universities in the world, via the CWUR:

1. Harvard University
2. Stanford University
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4. University of Cambridge
5. University of Oxford
6. Columbia University
7. University of California, Berkeley
8. University of Chicago
9. Princeton University
10. Yale University

And a more detailed look at the top 25 (click to enlarge):
See the full world university ranking at the CWUR >>

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Forbes put together its annual list of the 50 most valuable sports franchises across the world, and as usual it's football of both kinds dominating the top spots.

Of the top 10, four are NFL teams, four are European soccer clubs, and two are MLB teams.

Although the reasons behind each team's wealth vary, what's consistent among the top dogs is massive revenues and sponsorships (Real Madrid has a $39 million jersey-sponsorship deal with Emirates), along with huge ticket sales and TV deals. 

Check out the top 10 below, or the full 50-team ranking over at Forbes.

#1 Real Madrid ($3.44 billion)

#2 F.C. Barcelona (3.2 billion)

#3 Manchester United ($2.81 billion)

#4 New York Yankees ($2.5 billion)

#5 Dallas Cowboys ($2.3 billion)

#6 Los Angeles Dodgers ($2 billion)

#7 Bayern Munich ($1.85 billion)

#8 New England Patriots ($1.8 billion)

#9 Washington Redskins ($1.7 billion)

#10 New York Giants ($1.55 billion)

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There are thousands of universities all over the world, but only a handful are recognized as the best of the best.

The Center for World University Rankings recently released a list of the top universities in the world and also listed the best universities in specific countries and continents. 

The CWUR, which is based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, looks at the quality of education, prestige of faculty members, and quality of faculty research at each university to compile its annual list. 

We've put together a list of the best universities in 35 countries, as determined by the CWUR. Some of the universities are hundreds of years old with storied histories, while others are newer but are making strides with their research and academics. 

Argentina: University of Buenos Aires

World rank: 378

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina, with around 300,000 total students. It is especially known for its "science and technique" structure, which is made up of approximately 6,000 researchers and scholars working on more than 1,500 research projects. Three Nobel Prize winners attended the university: Dr. Bernardo Houssay, Federico Leloir, and César Milstein.

Australia: University of Sydney

World rank: 95

Location: Sydney, Australia

The University of Sydney was founded in 1850 and currently has about 51,400 students. The university was ranked eighth in the world for its education program and 13th for accounting and finance, as well as law. In 2013, Sydney alumni were ranked the fifth-richest in the world, according to Wealth-X.

Austria: University of Vienna

World rank: 205

Location: Vienna, Austria

The University of Vienna was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. The university has approximately 92,000 students and 6,700 academic employees. Nine winners of the Nobel Prize have been affiliated with the university either through teaching or research. 

Williams College is the best college in America, according to Forbes' annual Top Colleges ranking, which this year placed Harvard University at number seven.

Forbes — which combines liberal arts college and research universities on its list — notes that the divide between these two types of institutions reveals a "higher education in flux." As list author Caroline Howard writes, "This year it comes down to small, student-centric, liberal arts colleges vs. large, brainy, research-oriented universities closely associated with science, technology, engineering and math."

Increasingly, the debate about a college degree's usefulness is less about the prestige of the institution, but rather the focus of a student's studies. However, even as the humanities get pummeled in the public discussion of higher education, Forbes' list shows that its just as good — if not better — to attend a smaller liberal arts school.

Williams College and Stanford University took the top two spots on Forbes' list, with highly regarded Harvard University placing seventh, below peer institutions like Princeton University and Yale University. This is actually an improvement for Harvard, which last year placed eighth on Forbes' Top Colleges ranking.

Howard writes in the Top Colleges' methodology that Forbes stresses "output" over "input," setting their sights "directly at ROI." Forbes created their ranking from five categories — student satisfaction, post-graduate success, student debt, graduation rate, and academic success.

Here are the top 10 colleges on Forbes' America's Top Colleges ranking:

1. Williams College
2. Stanford University
3. Swarthmore College
4. Princeton University
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
6. Yale University
7. Harvard University
8. Pomona College
9. United States Military Academy
10. Amherst College

Check out the full list here >>

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Syracuse University is the top party school in the country, according to the newest version of The Princeton Review's college rankings.

Syracuse took the top spot from the University of Iowa, 2013's No. 1 party school in The Princeton Review's annual ranking and this year's second-place school. The Orange placed fifth on last year's list.

According to The Princeton Review, these lists are derived from a "survey that asked 130,000 students at 379 top colleges to rate their schools on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences." 62 rankings are included in The Princeton Review's annual college guides.

Here are the top 10 party schools in the country, according to The Princeton Review:

1. Syracuse University
2. University of Iowa
3. University of California, Santa Barbara
4. West Virginia University
5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
6. Lehigh University
7. Penn State University
8. University of Wisconsin — Madison
9. Bucknell University
10. University of Florida

Check out more rankings from The Princeton Review here >>

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For the second year in a row, Charleston, South Carolina, has taken the top spot on Conde Nast Travelers' list of the friendliest cities in the U.S.

Each year, the magazine ranks hotels, cruises, beaches, and cities as part of its Readers' Choice Survey. The results aren't scientific (it's an online survey that anyone can take), but thousands of people participate in the survey each year.

In the survey, "friendliness" is generally measured by how welcome people feel in different cities.

Almost every city that made the "friendliest" list was in the South.

The survey also asked people to rate the unfriendliest cities in the U.S. (unsurprisingly, most were in the Northeast). Both lists are below.

The 10 friendliest cities in the U.S.

10. Asheville, North Carolina (score: 79)
Survey respondents say that Asheville has a "small-town feel" and is filled with friendly and artistic people.

9. Nashville, Tennessee (score: 79.6)
This musical city was regarded as highly entertaining and full of "colorful characters."

8. Key West, Florida (score: 79.6)
It's "impossible to be stressed out" in this "pleasant" city.

7. Jackson Hole, Wyoming (score: 80)
This casual yet upscale city is commonly referred to as "eclectic" and "funky" with plenty to do outdoors.

6. Fort Worth, Texas (score: 80.2)
The people here are "welcoming,""warm," and have "beautiful manners."

5. New Orleans (score: 80.4)
City pride abounds in New Orleans, and there's a ton of great food to boot.

4. Telluride, Colorado (score: 81.3)
This "laid-back" community isn't crowded or snobby, and the people are "down-to-earth."

3. San Antonio (score: 82.2)
The "friendliness of the folks who live here" makes San Antonio a must-visit city.

2. Savannah, Georgia (score: 82.8)
This charming southern city, the oldest in Georgia, makes people feel like as if "stepped back in time."

1. Charleston, South Carolina (score: 84.3)
This "quaint" city is bursting with "southern hospitality."

The 10 least friendly cities in the U.S.

10. Miami (score: 53.4)
This tourist trap of a city has great culture and nightlife but is "overpriced" and "too trendy."

9. Wilmington, Delaware (score: 52.8)
Not many people travel here for pleasure, according to the survey. The city has "lots of cows."

8. The Hamptons, New York (score: 50.6)
This well-to-do summer vacation spot isn't as bad in the winter, but it can be "challenging" during peak season.

7. Los Angeles (score: 48.9)
Driving in this city is a nightmare, and people have attitudes, but the weather is nice.

6. Detroit (score: 48)
The city is improving, but it has also been called "the armpit of the world" with its crumbling buildings.

5. New Haven, Connecticut (score: 47.2)
This city is worth a visit in the summer, when the snobby Yale students have left.

4. Atlantic City, New Jersey (score: 46.3)
This city isn't what it used to be, and the shopping, dining, and nightlife isn't "spectacular."

3. Hartford, Connecticut (score: 45.5)
It's good for a business trip, but entertainment is lacking.

2. Oakland, California (score: 40.6)
Be careful where you go in this "rough-around-the-edges" city.

1. Newark, New Jersey (score: 33.5)
This "airport city" has been described as "crowded and overpriced."

SEE ALSO: The 20 Most Fun Colleges In America

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It's nearly back-to-school time, so social finance site WalletHub put together a list of the best and worst school systems in America.

They studied the quality of education in the 50 states (plus D.C.) by analyzing 12 factors — "from student-teacher ratios and dropout rates to test scores and bullying incident rates." 

New Jersey came in first overall, placing top five in many of the key categories including test scores and safety. D.C. came in last place, ranking as the least safe place to go to school, along with low test scores and high dropout rates.

Their interactive map shows each state's overall rank; with red representing the worst overall school systems, and green the best.

Here is the map:

The report also took those numbers and compared them with how much the state is spending on education. The results are mixed, as New Jersey comes in at No. 3 for spending, while D.C. actually spends the 14th most, compared with Arizona, which spends the least and is placed at 43.

WalletHub says that states that invest more in education ultimately strengthen their economies, citing The Economic Policy Institute report that incomes are higher in states where the workforce is well educated.

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Johannesburg, South Africa didn't fare well in Conde Nast Travelers' annual survey, earning the title of least friendly city in the world.

Not all the cities on this list earned their designation as "unfriendly" based on the people who occupy them, however. Survey respondents noted Johannesburg's reputation as an unsafe city and the danger of traveling alone there. Language barriers, political perceptions, and location could also factor in.

The results of Conde Nast's Readers' Choice Survey aren't scientific (it's an online survey that anyone can take), but thousands of people participate each year. The survey ranks hotels, cruises, beaches, and cities.

If you're traveling to one of these cities soon, be wary.

The 10 unfriendliest cities in the world

10. Nassau, Bahamas (score: 63.6)
Readers said the city is "unsafe" outside of the tourist areas and big hotels.

9. Monte Carlo, Monaco (score: 63)
This city full of glitz and glam can be "ostentatious and overcrowded."

8. Milan, Italy (score: 62.9)
The "traditional Italian friendliness and hospitality" typically isn't found in Milan.

7. Frankfurt, Germany (score: 61.7)
The locals have been described as "cold" and "very rude."

6. Beijing, China (score: 61.4)
The "terrible pollution" and "dirty streets" detract from the city's beautiful attractions.

5. Marseille, France (score: 60.9)
Pickpockets are a concern here, which makes for a "threatening atmosphere for tourists."

4. Paris, France (score: 60.8)
One survey respondent said that "everyone was downright rude" and unhelpful in this city.

3. Moscow, Russia (score: 59.6)
Many people don't speak any language other than Russian here, and the people are "unfriendly."

2. Cannes, France (score: 58.5)
This "forgettable city" has been called a "European Vegas" with "unfriendly" locals.

1. Johannesburg, South Africa (score: 56.1)
Despite its beauty, Johannesburg has a reputation as an unsafe city filled with crime.

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We’ve done a lot of rankings of places here at the Movoto Real Estate Blog for different criteria, like education or safety. But what if you’re just looking for a general area that has a lot to offer? We can help out there, too .

We have to give a nod to the East Coast on this one, because they sure wrapped up the top 10. Don’t worry, other states, there are plenty of you represented in the top 50. 

See the full ranking and methodology, below.

1. Loudoun County, Virginia

This is one of those instances where the winner was a pretty obvious one, just by the rankings.

The median rent here was the highest on our list, which indicated that people are willing to shell out the big bucks to call this place home. The household income rank was also No. 1, so locals can earn enough to pay for those upscale apartments.

It also helps that most people here were employed. With the fourth lowest unemployment rate on our list, at 4.85 percent, and with only 2.51 percent of families being below the poverty line, locals are likely to be comfortable financially and career-wise.

Did we also mention that it had a high school graduation rate of over 93 percent? That certainly didn’t hurt in the rankings.

2. Douglas County, Colorado

Though it wasn’t quite up to Loudoun standards, Douglas County was still pretty darn awesome.

With the highest graduation rate, a whopping 97.2 percent, you’re bound to get a good education here or provide one for your family. Only about 2 percent of families here were below the poverty line as well, which ranked No. 1 for that category.

People were willing to pay a pretty hefty sum to live here, but that’s okay, considering that households here made a median income of over $94,000 a year. That was enough for the third place income ranking, and likely enough to pay for the 29th most expensive housing costs on our list.

3. Fairfax County, Virginia

The scores for this very large Virginia county (1,086,743 people) were pretty good across the board. However, there were a few standout rankings.

The second-highest household income, with locals making an average of over $103,010, certainly had something to do with it.

That wasn’t the only stellar score, however. The third highest median rent, 12th fewest number of families below the poverty line, and an unemployment rate under six percent all boost this place’s scores.

It’s also probably worth mentioning that 10 Fortune 500 companies are based in this county, if that tells you anything about the type of folks that call this place home.

4. Chester County, Pennsylvania

While there were no truly standout scores for Chester County, it should be noted that they did not rank outside of the top 60 in any one category. Really, considering we looked at over 600 places, that’s pretty impressive all on its own.

More specifically, this county did have the No. 12 ranking for both household income and low poverty. The unemployment rate here was also a very low 6.2 percent.

Nature lovers will also be pleased to know that locals can visit not one but three different state parks fairly easily. Ah, breathe that fresh air!

5. Somerset County, New Jersey

One of America’s oldest counties, this place is just pretty much amazing.

There’s beauty, friendliness, and a ton to see and do. Of course, this place also had some serious stats saying that this is an ideal county for anyone to call home.

With the fourth highest median household income and the fourth lowest poverty on our list, it’s easy to see why locals want to live here. That desire to live in the area shows pretty strong through the pricey median rent and housing costs.

Ah well, sometimes you just have to pay a little more to get the finer things in life.

6. Morris County, New Jersey

Another New Jersey locale, this place had some very strong stats across the board. It should be mentioned that the unemployment here was a little higher, at over seven percent, but the rest of the numbers certainly made up for it, plus that’s still very low unemployment.

This home to 492,694 had the sixth highest household income, a stunning $91,469, and the 16th lowest poverty, making it a good place live comfortably financially. Of course, if you’re looking to start a family or have children that need a solid education, you could do a lot worse. The high school graduation rate was over 93 percent, so prepare to gain a little in the smarts department if you decide to move here.

7. Washington County, Minnesota

Our only top 10 county in Minnesota, this one’s home to some comfy and rather brainy folks.

Why brainy? Well, because 96 percent of folks here graduate high school, the fourth most on our list, and many go on to get higher degrees. Knowledge is power, right?

The other stats for these parts are pretty solid. too. This county had the 25th highest household income, and the 26th lowest poverty. On top of that, the home prices here were quite affordable, ranking 111th on our list.

With that in mind, this county might be a great way to get some serious bang for your buck if you’re looking for quality without premium prices.

8. Montgomery County, Maryland

Unlike Washington County, this place comes with a pretty high price tag. The median rent here ranked fourth, at $1,466, and the housing prices were ranked in the top 25 on our list.

Luckily enough, the unemployment here was pretty low, and the median household income ranked eighth on our list, at $89,155, so you might just be able to afford those expenses.

Still, those prices indicate that this is a desirable place to live, and it’s no wonder. The poverty here was low, most students graduate high school, and over 25 percent of those students go on to postgraduate degrees.

So it’s expensive, yes, but you’re getting a lot of great perks and a great place to live for that price tag.

9. Frederick County, Maryland

Another Maryland County, this large locale shows that Montgomery isn’t the only place with some awesome perks.

To start, this county had the fifth lowest poverty rank, with 3.12 percent of families being below the poverty line, so the locals here aren’t finding it too hard to get by. Of course, the 16th ranked median household income helps with that, too.

All in all, every single one of this place’s ranking were in the top 100. Considering there were over 600 counties that we looked at, that’s pretty amazing.

It probably shouldn’t come as any surprise, then, that the rent here and the median home price were both on the expensive side. But given all the other high rankings, and the beautiful nature and thriving cities nearby, we’d say it’s probably worth it.

10. Rockingham County, New Hampshire

Hanging in there and making a strong showing in the top 10 was New Hampshire’s Rockingham County.

All this place’s scores were in the top 90, which means that overall it’s hard to go wrong around here. The income and high school graduation rate were particularly high, which is good for students and their parents alike.

There was, however, one standout score. This place had the second-lowest poverty on our entire list, with 2.41 percent of families being below the poverty line.

So, if you decide to call this place home, chances are you’ll be well educated, employed, comfortable, and happy. As we said, it’s hard to go wrong with a place like that.

How We Created This Ranking

We’ve made Big Deal Lists before, and this one wasn’t any different in that we worked completely by the numbers. The criteria we used, however, were a little different this time around. First, we made a list, using the 2010 Census, of all counties in the U.S. that had available data in the following areas:

• Unemployment rate (the lower the better)
• Median household income (the higher the better)
• Median rent (the higher the better, to indicate area’s desirability)
• Median home price (the higher the better, to indicate desirability)
• Percent of families below the poverty line (the lower the better)
• High school graduation rate (the higher the better)

That left us with a total of 640 counties. Any counties that did not have that data were omitted from our list.

Then, we ranked each county in each category from one to 640, with scores closer to one being better. Finally, we averaged each county’s rankings into one Big Deal Score, and the county with the lowest Big Deal Score number was our winner.

SEE ALSO: The Best Coffee Shop In Every State

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For most students, the college experience is not limited to their time in the classroom. Much of what a school has to offer can be found on its campus — from great libraries to standout career services to, simply, beautiful surroundings.

We looked at 11 campus-related categories from The Princeton Review's 2015 college rankings to determine which colleges offer the best campus experiences.

Click here to read our complete methodology.

There was no discernible connection between the colleges that came out on top, as they represented everything from Ivy League universities to small liberal arts colleges to technical schools. Perhaps more telling of the list's diversity is that each one of our top five schools came from a different area of the country.

Whereas last year's ranking included half of the Ivy League, this year only two members cracked the top 20. Several schools made the list for the first time, and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, ranked no. 6 last year, earned this year's top spot. Although Olin College didn't rank no. 1 in any individual category, its high placement in several categories — including Best Quality of Life, Best Career Services, and Best Dorms — earned it the outright top spot.

#20 Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern took home the top spot in the career services ranking because of its unique co-op program. The program allows students to work in real world, professional settings during the semester for credit as an undergraduate. 

Located in the heart of downtown Boston, the school also fared well in the City Gets High Marks list.

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here. 

#19 Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, New York

The liberal arts college has a student body under 2,500 total students, but still managed to rank in the top ten of Princeton Review's best college library ranking. 

Founded in 1861 as an all-women's college, Vassar began admitting male students in 1969. Today, approximately 56% of the student body is female.

 Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.

#18 Tulane University

New Orleans, Louisiana

Located in the heart of New Orleans, Tulane ranked second in Princeton Review's City Gets High Marks ranking and sixth on the Quality of Life ranking.

The 110-acre campus sits along the oldest streetcar line in the country, and the historic St. Charles streetcar makes the four mile trip into the downtown and French quarters of New Orleans easily accessible. 

Source: The Princeton Review. To learn more about our methodology, click here.