Five Colorado cities made Money Magazine’s list of 100 Best Places to Live in America.

The list ranked small cities, which it defined as those with populations of 50,000 to 300,000.

Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Boulder and Fort Collins made the list, which was released Monday.

In describing Castle Rock as the 16th- best place to live, the magazine noted that “a far cry from its Wild West beginnings, Castle Rock has set out to become a major magnet for business.”

Highlands Ranch followed at 23rd for “some of the best outdoor stuff Colorado has to offer.”

Centennial ranked 49th. “There’s a lot to pack in: the pedestrian and bike-friendly Centennial Link Trail and brand new Centennial Center Park,” the magazine noted.

Boulder ranked 60th with the headline “Want to live a few more years?” “Try moving to Boulder. Its residents are among the happiest and healthiest in the nation.”

Fort Collins was at No. 70 . The magazine says much of the city’s success “rests on the shoulders of Colorado State University.”

Fort Collins’ closest major Wyoming neighbor, Cheyenne, ranked 82nd.

“Summer in Cheyenne means the return of Cheyenne Frontier Days. While Cheyenne’s 5.4 percent unemployment rate is a notch higher than Wyoming’s, there’s plenty of growth on the horizon.”

The top three cities on the list were Carmel, Ind.; McKinney, Texas; and Eden Prairie, Minn.

Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939, hpankratz@denverpost.com or twitter.com/howardpankratz