2024-12-22T03:07:28-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/134719585/think-you-live-in-a-nice-county-find-out-where-it-stands-on-the-nationwide-natural-amenities-index Alexander Walter 2015-08-20T12:01:00-04:00 >2018-01-30T06:16:04-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/z2/z2mpubultoeifmnk.png?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>Ventura County, Calif., is the absolute most desirable place to live in America. I know this because in the late 1990s the federal government devised a measure of the best and worst places to live in America, from the standpoint of scenery and climate. The "natural amenities index" is intended as "a measure of the physical characteristics of a county area that enhance the location as a place to live."</p></em><br /><br /><p>Wanna find out how well or how poorly your home county scored? Head over to the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/08/17/every-county-in-america-ranked-by-natural-beauty/" target="_blank"><em>Washington Post</em> article</a> and hover your mouse over the interactive map. (Residents of the Great Lakes Region - prepare yourselves for disappointment.)</p>