Highlighting the Town’s quality of life and commitment to bringing in new businesses, CNNMoney magazine this week named Castle Rock one of its 2012 Best Places to Live in America.

CNNMoney chooses its top 100 places based on job opportunities, school quality, crime rates, health care and available activities. Castle Rock came in at No. 17 – up two rankings from 2011, when it made the list as No. 19.

“A far cry from its Wild West beginnings, Castle Rock has set out to become a major magnet for businesses,” states CNNMoney, adding that 44 businesses have come to Castle Rock during the first quarter of the year.

“As residents, we know Castle Rock’s small-town charm has a lot to offer,” said Mayor Paul Donahue. “Now, entrepreneurs are discovering what a great place Castle Rock is to live, work, run a business and raise a family, and we feel blessed they’re choosing Castle Rock as their home.”

Castle Rock ranked the highest in Colorado. Other Colorado cities that made the list are Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Boulder and Fort Collins.

Castle Rock has received numerous national recognitions in recent years for being an ideal place to do business, raise a family and retire. Residents recognize how special their Town is, too, and in last year’s community survey gave the highest score the survey administrator had ever seen for recommending the Town as a place to live.

In CNNMoney’s ratings, Castle Rock’s statistics were strong when compared to other cities in the areas of family income/purchasing power, state sales and income tax rates, auto insurance premiums, median home price and incidents of both personal and property crimes.

Additionally, the Town’s job growth rate between 2000 and 2011 vastly outpaced the other best places’ average, at 127.17 percent, compared to 25.01 percent.

Given its Front Range location, the Town also received high marks for proximity to ski resorts.

To read the Town’s CNNMoney profile or to view the entire Top 100 list, visit cnnmoney.com.