Outside magazine has again named Portland, Maine as one of its top 10 picks for American "dream towns". Yep, we're right up there with Salt Lake City, Chicago, Fort Collins, Charleston, Madison, Pasadena, Davis, Calif., Littleton, N.H., and the other Portland. Not bad company.

Outside "ranked American cities and towns on criteria including commitment to open space, community spirit, healthy job markets, environmental friendliness and opportunities for recreation."

I'm not so sure on the healthy job market thing, but I can pretty much go along with the rest of them for the Portland area.

It is certainly beautiful here, and the access to all types of recreational opportunities is amazing. It's been home to me for 18 years now, and I think I might just hang around for a few more years, whether or not Outside thinks we're cool.

Read all about it in the upcoming issue, due out next week. But first read the primer on the article and the many very interesting comments. Then add yours!