Five Colorado cities ranked in the top 40 of Forbes magazine’s 2009 evaluation of 200 U.S. metro areas for the best places for business and careers and Fort Collins come in at No. 2. Colorado Springs came in at No. 10, and Greeley at No. 37.

Way to go Fort Collins and Greeley, although we already knew that didn’t we.

Fort Collins also made it into the top 15 U.S. cities in four different areas, Educational attainment of its population (6th place), past income growth (9th), fewest sub-prime mortgages (10th) and projected job growth (13th). One part of the report that doesn’t make sense to me however is the fact that Fort Collins ranked 158th for number of colleges even though it’s home to Colorado State University and 135th for culture and leisure opportunities.

Other criteria used in it’s evaluations were cost of doing business, cost of living, projected job growth, crime rates and cultural attributes.

Below is the list of the top 20 cities for 2009 “best places for business and careers”

• 1. Raleigh, N.C.
• 2. Fort Collins
• 3. Durham, N.C.
• 4. Fayetteville, Ark.
• 5. Lincoln, Neb.
• 6. Asheville, N.C.
• 7. Des Moines, Iowa
• 8. Austin, Texas
• 9. Boise, Idaho
• 10. Colorado Springs
• 11. Albuquerque, N.M.
• 12. Oklahoma City
• 13. Wilmington, N.C.
• 14. Denver
• 15. Huntsville, Ala.
• 16. San Antonio, Texas
• 17. Seattle
• 18. Winston-Salem, N.C.
• 19. Charlotte, N.C.
• 20. Boulder