See?! See! Its not just me. I’m not just biased. Our little town, our little Eastside suburb/town ‘o Seattle totally rocks! We made the top 20 of CNN and Money Magazine’s 2009 list of the nation’s “Best Small Towns.” We’re number 17! Of course, this sounds very impressive, and yet there are two nearby towns that have bragging rights. They beat us at numbers 10 and 12. Still. Our wee little Newcastle made the grade. Here’s what they had to say:

[Population: 9800] Once full of coal miners, Newcastle now has a much more diverse jobs base: The town is 15 minutes from both Microsoft's Redmond headquarters and Boeing's 737 plant in Renton.
But the biggest draw here may be The Golf Club at Newcastle. Built by former Microsoft exec Scott Oki, the massive site includes two 18-hole public courses and a 44,000-square-foot clubhouse.
Home buyers can find properties at a great variety of prices, from $350,000 3-bedroom-2-car-garage ramblers to brand-new $6 million estates. --N.A.

We can actually see the Newcastle Golf Course out our living room window! They decorate with Christmas lights every year and occasionally (just the other night), we get to watch our own private firework show from the sofa (most likely celebrating a wedding up there on the hill). And, just for the record, we’re a little closer to the first price range of homes than the latter…until my book sells, that is.