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South Carolina

Rock Hill

Nearest city: Charlotte, N.C.
Population: 56,714
Median household income: $57,147

Rock Hill, 20 miles south of Charlotte, N.C., has warm weather and some of the best public schools in the state. It is also home to Winthrop University, a four-year liberal arts college that was ranked the eighth-best public university in the Southeast by U.S. News & World Report in 2006.

Runners-up:
Charleston
Mount Pleasant

Click here to see the 2010 version of the Best Places to Raise Your Kids

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