Amador County is among the 10 "Best Places to Live in Rural America," according to Progressive Farmer magazine. In a ranking released today, Amador placed ninth on the magazine's list based on quality-of-life indicators such as household income and spending, home and land prices, crime rates, air quality, education and access to health care. But what the magazine's senior editor, Jamie Cole, recalls most vividly is the diverse environments to be found within the county 592 . "You've got these small, sort of Gold Rush towns in one corner. You've got the wine country in one corner. Then, when you drive to Tahoe, it's cold and snowy," Cole told the Stockton Recors Wednesday from his magazine's offices in Birmingham, Ala. Cole was surprised to see a mild 70-degree day in Jackson, where he stayed in September, quickly give way to a "full-on deep freeze" upon driving east on Highway 88.