Many not disappointed at Money magazine's ranking of best places to live.

There is no one single best place to live in America. That's what Money magazine is saying by revamping its 12-year-old best place to live feature. Instead, there's 12 No. 1 places to live.

In Wednesday's release of Money's best places to live, Charlotte County was named the No. 5 best place to live out of 49 cities in the South. The ranking was of cities that have a population between 100,000 and 249,999. The results were posted and are listed on the magazine's Internet site at www.money.com.

This year, the magazine divided its 300 best places to live into four regions, which are divided into three size categories. The new listing gives the No. 1 best-place-to-live title to 12 metropolitan areas. Charlottesville, Va., which is nestled in the Shenandoah Valley and home of that state's university, was named No. 1 in the category Punta Gorda fell into.

In 1997, the Punta Gorda metropolitan area, which includes Port Charlotte, was named the No. 4 best place to live in America and the No. 1 best place to live in the South. That was a drop from 1996's No. 2 place in America. Under the new system, Charlotte County, nor any area for that matter, will ever have another chance to receive the No. 1 in America title.

"One thing they can never do is take those titles (we received in 1996 and 1997) away from us," said Punta Gorda Business Alliance executive director Bob Carpenter. "We can flaunt those forever, and we will."

Some doubted the county would even be mentioned in the 10 best places to live.

"I had no expectations (for this year) because we hadn't been contacted by anyone," said Julie Mathis, executive director of Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce . In the past, Money reporters called Mathis when Charlotte County placed in the top 10 best places to live in America. "I got on the Internet at home before I came (to the Punta Gorda Business Alliance meeting). I was surprised to see we were No. 5.

"It keeps us visible."

Three Virginia cities took the top three listings in the South of the small category. Charlottesville was No. 1; Lynchburg was named No. 2 and Roanoke No. 3. Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was named No. 4.

Carpenter announced the results during the PGBA monthly meeting Wednesday morning.

There was no whooping or hollering at the Charlotte County's No. 5 spot just steady applause.

"We're still the best doggone place to live, and we know it," Carpenter said.

State Rep. Lindsay Harrington, R-Punta Gorda, who was at the meeting, knows Charlottesville well.

"My hometown is No. 1," Harrington said. "I was born and raised in Charlottesville."

Harrington moved to Charlotte County 20 years ago. "I'm still glad to see us in the top five. Those of us who have moved here, have learned how special Punta Gorda is."

Naples was named No. 6. Other South region listings included: Tampa, No. 4 out of 19 in the large city category, Fort Myers, No. 13 followed by Sarasota as No. 14 out of 22 in the medium category. Overall, Florida did well, taking top listings in each size category.

Other No. 1 rankings included Washington, D.C., in large category of the East Region; Seattle, Wash., in the large category of the West, Boulder, Colo., in the medium category of the West; Minneapolis, Minn., in the large category of the Midwest and Trenton, N.J., in the medium category of the East.

Monroe, La., was the listed last in the small category of the South.

Monroe Chamber of Commerce communications director Jennifer Fabianich said the listing of the best place to live might actually hurt Monroe.

"We're obviously disappointed," said Monroe Chamber of Commerce communications director Jennifer Fabianich. "We question their numbers. They listed our unemployment as 6.1 percent. It is 4.7 percent, which is the national average. So, we don't know how current their numbers are.

"Also, the survey doesn't include the recent investment in public schools, the new garden and zoo entrance and the expansion of the civic center. And, the survey doesn't mention their are others (not even included in the survey) behind us."

The survey asked 512 adults across the country to rate 37 factors, from clean water to crime to cost of living on a scale of 1 to 10. The responses were matched to statistical data. The cost of living for Punta Gorda was listed as the same as Naples, 98 cents on the dollar.

The site includes a database that allows people to compare areas based on criteria they choose. Maps are included.

The original Punta Gorda map that was posted on the site of Punta Gorda, however, may give people the wrong idea.

It was of Punta, Calif., which is on the Pacific Ocean coast.

The July issue goes on sale on the newsstands June 15.