Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine has listed Raleigh as the country's second best place to live in 2008, behind only Houston.

The city is "a work in progress," Kiplinger's says in its July issue, which will hit newsstands on June 10 and is currently online. It's long been a good place to work, but big-city cultural amenities have been lacking.

That's changing, Kiplinger's says. Raleigh is increasingly becoming a more exciting place to live, and the excitement of living there is catching up with the benefits provided by the local economy.

In particular, Kiplinger's cites the renaissance of downtown as the reason why 2008 marks "the turning point" for the Capital City. The magazine gives as examples the new Raleigh Convention Center and the downtown RBC Plaza, which are both set to open this year.

Also cited are many of the factors frequently cited when a Triangle-area city makes a "best places to live" list: a relatively low cost of living, a high percentage of workers with university degrees, and strong economic growth.

Kiplinger's says its list encompasses cities "offering strong economies, abundant jobs, reasonable living costs - and fun things to do."