It looks like being a great place to raise a family secures you a spot on Forbes? Top US Boom Town list. Charlotte and Raleigh both made the list of eight US cities that met Forbes? criteria, which included recent job growth and overall economic performance in the past decade. (A little less wild west than we would have hoped with a phrase like "Boom Town," but we'll take it.) Charlotte ranked No. 8, with Raleigh filing in at No. 2, right behind Austin. (Texas, BTW, had three cities on the list.) Raleigh has experienced the second-highest overall US population increase and the third-highest job growth over the past two decades. It also ranked among those regions seeing the biggest jump in new immigrants and is the No. 1 city for families with young children, Forbes states. Meanwhile, Forbes reports that Charlotte's airport and infrastructure have made it a healthy place to be, along with low-cost quality housing and short commute times. (Not nearly as sexy  as being a place where you don't have to be self-conscious about wearing a cowboy hat.)