This is the 2007 edition of the State of the County report. This year, we have incorporated a new feature: the Quality of Life Index. The index, based on 4 areas of economics, health, education, and public safety, is a 10 point scale, with a higher score indicating a higher quality of life. Some of the indicators that comprise the index include measurements of obesity, asthma, child poverty, student proficiency in math and reading, housing affordability, wages, air quality, violent crime, access to healt