Top 10 Places for Boaters to Live

If you, as an avid boater, could live anywhere in the United States, where would you choose?

Boating Magazine recently investigated nautical communities throughout the United States, looking for the best places for boaters to call home. The article's author, Mike Tyler, looked at several area's mix of boating opportunities, boat-friendly regulations, water access, availability of waterfront homes, health of the local economy and overall lifestyle for boaters.

Boats under the 360 Bridge in one of the top 10, Austin, TX © istockphoto/Brandon Seidel

From this criteria, the magazine selected the 10 Best Places to Live And Boat (full article). Here is the list, in alphabetical order:

1. Austin, Texas
2. Benton County, Arkansas
3. Finger Lakes, New York
4. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
5. Knoxville, Tennessee
6. Oconee County, South Carolina
7. Otter Tail County, Minnesota
8. San Diego, California
9. Seattle, Washington
10. Tampa Bay, Florida

What area would you add to the list? If you had to keep it to 10, what area would you replace? We'd probably start by excluding locations where it's too cold to boat more than 25% of the year. Please comment here.