Albuquerque made it onto US News' Top 10 Places to Live list; photo by Helen Vanderbeck

Sometimes a move across the country can be as energizing (and feel almost as exotic) as a move across the world.

US News & World Report, the master of lists—top colleges, top doctors, top places to get bacon ice cream—just released their Top 10 places to live in the US. Their choices often make you go “huh?” but at least they make you think about how you’d compile your own list.

They say they “looked for affordable communities that have strong economies and plenty of fun things to do.” Here’s their list:

1. Albuquerque, N.M.
2. Auburn, Ala.
3. Austin, Texas
4. Boise, Idaho
5. Durham, N.C.
6. La Crosse, Wis.
7. Loveland, Colo.
8. San Luis Obispo, Calif.
9. St. Augustine, Fla.
10. Upper St. Clair, Pa.