Located alongside State Highway 101, Atascadero is in the middle of an award winning wine region and just 20 minutes from a major university, scenic coastlines, and jet air travel. The City features an exceptional pro-business environment, a government eager to attract and retain business, very competitive commercial lease rates, a high quality of life, and several strategic market opportunities including: new media; wine manufacturing and supplies; alternative energy and green products; and retail and tourism related businesses. In addition, Atascadero has been named along with neighboring cities San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles as one of the top-ten places to live by Yahoo!, listing these three SLO County cities as third on their top-ten list, and proclaims "This quiet group of towns on the Central California coast could easily qualify as paradise".