I've never been to Cupertino, but I know the general area. My parents grew up in San Jose and Santa Clara and my grandfathers in San Francisco and Monterrey. It's a nice area. But they have to travel for real seasonal changes, which we enjoy here, and compared to many other places, it's not that hot and muggy here in the summer. We have great, well cared for neighborhoods, very good schools, and despite Ernst's comment, a diverse population not reflected in a census. We have residents who deeply care for the city and things like its library, museum, nature center, so much so that we bicker a lot about how to maintain them. We care about our leadership and politics, to a fault sometimes, but that's good. Our city government cares about good stewardship and serving its citizens. It sometimes is like a small town, with city size amenities. It has a rich and varied religious diversity, and lots of opportunities for recreation and entertainment. It is a great place to live and raise a family.

4 things...

Cupertino isn't even the best city in California to live, according to the CNNMoney list... ouch. We're number 1.

22,678 fewer people live there than in Troy. You could make a case that theres simply no room for more, I suggest it's because more people like Troy better.

In Cupertino, 58,302 people are jammed into 11 square miles of geography (that might not be in existance when the big one hits), Thats 5,300 people per square mile now... compared to our 2,453 people per square mile in our 33 square miles of top 26 worthy turf. We simply don't stack 'em on top of each other.

And overexposure to sun is so "last millenium..."

I know the CNN report is based primarily on dollars and cents, but our quality of life should seperate us by way more than 1 on any report.

Troy deserves to be on the list because DESPITE our bargain basement millage rate, we are still provided with stellar schools, safety and services. DESPITE our current controversial mayor and council, Troy has been run in a successful and fiscally sound manner. And DESPITE recent controversy with our bigoted Mayor and some of her supporters, Troy IS a very diverse and welcoming community for ALL people.

Poor Ann seems to have forgotten how awesome and fiercely loyal us Michiganders truly are. Troy has wonderful schools, beautiful parks, awesome restaurants, fantastic shopping and tons of diversity. We have the luxury of being close enough to downtown Detroit, and are able to attend a football, baseball, or hockey game without it being a multi-hour excursion. Sports aren't your thing, then go ahead and enjoy all the arts available, the shows, the symphony, the opera, a wonderful art museum. Troy crime rate is low, and our fire department is a model example of hometown enthusiasm being mostly volunteer and still extremely effective!

Ok , they have Apple, yes i love my apple products. But they have a company that utilizes foreign labor. When you order your apple product it's shipped right from the factory in China.

Besides, if Cupertino really were so great you'd think their patch would have more than the measly 385 likes they have - once again trailing Troy, this time by 499 likes!! :)

Troy is a crappy place to live as a teen. There is nothing to do in the city except shopping, which isn't all that appealing to guys. What else is there to do? Go to 7-11 or the chipotle strip mall for a bite to eat. But what about late night attractions? There are none so kids do stupid things to entertain themselves. Some things are legal and some are highly illegal. Troy may seem like a good place from a parents point of view however, from a kids view the city is horrible and more boring than any surrounding city.

Martha: Of course, all in good fun! And to thebaseballer63, I have to admit teens in Cupertino say the same thing about their city.

Oh boy!
It is with pleasure
I recount on our treasure

From prunes
To iTunes
We have evolved
Technology we solved

While maintaining a rural profile
All the while
From public gardens and creek side trails
To preserving deer, raccoons and quails

Widely known and esteemed
More than we ever dreamed
For our schools and learning
We deliver on the yearning

Yes our people are many shades
Yellow, brown, black and fades
The ethnic foods abound Troy
From tacos, to tandoori and bok choy

Now it is onward and rising
We are not through surprising
Just stand back City of Troy
Your ranking of #26 we are out to destroy

(Ok. Not to be beat. Here goes rhyming on the fly):

I hear you, Mr. Jones,
Your city sounds just fine.
California is quite nice, I know,
But come to our Camp T patio ... and enjoy a glass of wine!

We, too, have parks
And lots of deer.
Come to the beautiful Somerset Mall and see
There's also an Apple here.

Diversity abounds in Troy
Our neighbors take us for dim sum
With over 80 languages spoken here
And multiple faiths making it quite fun.

Our schools are amazing
With great sports as well as stellar fine arts
Lifelong learning is embraced
And folks have amazing, open midwest hearts.

Of course you have earthquakes, we have tornadoes.
On that we can call it a draw?
Please don't slam our seasons.
Fall colors are pretty as anything you ever saw.

Aw, heck, Cupertino, we salute you!
A sister city of which we can be proud.
Gary Jones you seem quite nice
Cupertino/Troy -- an awesome cross-country, cyber crowd?

:)

Wow, I love the poetry! These comments are great :)

All of the places mentioned above by Troy people, plus four seasons. We can celebrate winter:
• Detroit Red Wings (sorry, Sharks, but no other hockey franchise can attract aging players like the Wings) with its international players – you want diversity, there it is!
• We live near Frankenmuth where it’s sometimes winter and always Christmas (Narnia reference for those who haven’t read the C.S. Lewis books)
• Sometimes there is cross country skiing in local county parks, always a few hours north in Grayling.

Summers are less humid than other places in the Midwest. The days are hot enough to enjoy cooling off at the Troy Family Aquatic Center or Beachwood Swim Club.

Troy Tidbits/Timbits (Tim Horton’s reference, eh?):
• Some of us have a reversible zip code: 48084
• Historic name: Troy
• We can drive 30 minutes to go south of the border to Canada, the “world next door.”
• We have Ontario’s Point Pelee National Park (Lake Erie) and Pinery Provincial Park (Lake Huron) within 2 hours drive

You can keep your high-priced houses and taxes ($/square foot, not millage rate), high speed rail projects that the people don’t want, taxes on where you live to prevent you from driving too far, environmental laws that kill agriculture jobs, nanny government, etc. Nice place to visit, but wouldn’t want to live there.

We have diversity of thought here too, with all different views mixed in. California is dominated by left-wing thinking. It’s not true diversity if everyone looks different and thinks the same! No offense, California, but I prefer to live in Michigan!

Property taxes are not a valid comparison because of our state's Proposition 13:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_13_(1978)

Oh gosh,

Citizens of Cupertino, we're not all Tea Party devotees. Troy does have quite a few open-minded people. People who like environmental standards, high-speed rail, separation of church and state, etc. Michigan is a Blue State after all (thank goodness).

Cupertino winery holds up in Paris, 2006:
http://www.ridgewine.com/About/Judgment%20of%20Paris
We age well!

Actually, I like passenger trains and have ridden them before. They make the most sense in Europe, China and other crowded places where they can be subsidized. The high speed ones are even more expensive; America can’t afford them until we get our 40% overspending under control. That’s all.

I like separation of church and state, too, just have a different view of it than the current politically correct one.
http://troy.patch.com/blog_posts/freedom-of-conscience-the-foundational-freedom
http://troy.patch.com/blog_posts/chicago-and-boston-mayors-attack-chick-fil-a

I’m also for environmental standards that make sense and do not harm people’s livelihoods. Once again, we have to be able to afford them. The hidden costs of CAFÉ standards, over-regulation of the energy industry that drives up prices, etc. are the kicker.

You can try to misrepresent Tea Party people as extremists; it’s your only hope when there are no reasonable arguments. Demonize, divide, and deceive! It worked the first time for President Obama, and he’s trying it again since he has a pathetic record to run on.
http://troy.patch.com/blog_posts/six-reasons-to-retire-president-obama
http://troy.patch.com/blog_posts/nice-pick-mitt-romney-ryan-ticket-a-winner

Oh, well. These political and religious comments don't really belong under this topic and are unhelpful.

That said, if, as one or two Troy commenters have brought up, nearby places to visit matter, I am afraid to say ( unfortunately for Troy), Frankenmuth, Ontario, Grayling and Detroit or any place I've ever visited in Michigan can't come close to the Santa Cruz mountains, Santa Cruz, Capitola, Los Gatos, the Pacfic coast, or San Francisco. Go a little farther, and you can go to Carmel and Monterrey. Sorry, Troy. Otherwise, the two cities are close.

John, I agree, politics and religion weren't intended to be part of this conversation. This was supposed to be just a fun topic. I'm a 'Gander through and through, even though I don't live there now. Vernors is still my favorite pop, and I still say "eh" at the end of my sentences, and I know how to play Euchre.

Sorry if I offended anyone by talking about the two taboo topics of politics and religion, but others brought up the issue of taxes and dealt with only the millage rate, which isn't a fair way to look at it.

The best way to look at it is the total tax burden. I'll bet a quarter that California's tax freedom day is later than Michigan's, and the high housing prices there make it very expensive to live.

Each state is great and has its advantages (California's natural beauty is greater than Michigan's with more national parks), and each country is great and has its advantages. If we look at the positives, we'll all be happier. I like Dennis Prager and his happiness factor on Fridays.