FAYETTEVILLE — North Carolina's three biggest cities weren't the only ones to make theMoneymagazine 'best places to live' list. Fayetteville ranked well for medium-sized Cities with populations over 250,000.

For cities in that population range, Fayetteville was ranked the twentieth best place to live in the south. City leaders say they are excited that people all over the country will now know what people who live there already do.

"When you look at the quality of life you can have here compared to any other market in the country," said Doug Traub of the Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau. I mean, it's just fabulous."

The ranking is all about quality of life. Fayetteville got good scores in many of the areas the magazine looks at. It is seen as a city with clean water, good public schools, and low property taxes.

But, according to leaders, what makes Fayetteville really stand out is its movement toward change. They say a ranking such as this proves the city is on the rise.

"I think it's just window dressing," says Traub. "People ought to come here and find out for themselves, but certainly it's a vehicle to get more attention for maybe some of the attributes that people may not have been aware of before.

Leaders say what also makes Fayetteville successful is the fact that it has many of the amenities one would expect to find only in a much larger city. Included in that are the new Crown Coliseum complex and the hockey team coming to Fayetteville.

Fayetteville has suffered the effects of an unfavorable reputation in recent years, which leaders have always said is a misconception. They're optimistic this new ranking will make people take another look.