Top 10 places to live in usa

The debate about which US city is the best far exceeds the LA vs. New York rivalry. For decades city slickers and townies alike have argued about who has the more ideal living situation. Luckily, there is always a publication willing to drop a power ranking of said cities in order to move the debate forward. Will there ever be a definitive answer? No. But lists are fun.

Money recently announced its annual ranking of the Best Places to Live in the US. The list spotlights 50 cities and towns across the country. The ranking was based on which cities had the strongest labor markets, most affordable homes, and outstanding racial, economic and cultural diversity.

Topping this year's list is Atlanta, due to the number of opportunities it affords job seekers, students and families, according to Money. The burgeoning tech scene has likely played a big role in contributing to the city's growth in recent years.

Yet, despite growing inflation, Money reports that Atlanta's housing costs are still lower than more than half of the cities and towns on the list. The current median price listing for a house in the ATL settles out at around $428,000, according to the news outlet.

Other top spot holders might surprise you. Tempe, Arizona follows Atlanta with the number two spot, and Kirkland, Washington comes in at number three. Check out the top 10 cities (and one neighborhood within a city, oddly enough) below.
 

  1. Atlanta
  2. Tempe, Arizona
  3. Kirkland, Washington
  4. Raleigh, North Carolina
  5. Rogers Park, Chicago
  6. Columbia, Maryland
  7. Somerville, Massachusetts
  8. Ann Arbor, Michigan
  9. Tampa, Florida
  10. Jersey City


While this list surely won't end the "best city" discourse, at least it gives you something more to argue about than the age-old West Coast vs. East Coast debate. Read the full ranking here.

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Jeremy Porr is a News Writer at Thrillist. Follow Jeremy on Instagram.

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Top 10 places to live in usa
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This Southern city is officially the best place to live in the US

Money magazine awarded the top spot in its annual ranking of the top places to live in the USA

Top 10 places to live in usa

The city of Atlanta has been awarded the best place to live in the US by personal finance magazine Money, based on "things that matter most to people: economic opportunities, quality of life, diversity and where the best futures lie."

It's true, Atlanta is more than just a Delta hub, it's a vibrant metropolis. According to Money, the city secured the coveted number one position in its annual ranking of the top places to live in the USA because "of its booming jobs market and eye on equality."

The financial title explains its rationale behind each city placement quite thoroughly. It says that Atlanta has consistently seen some of the largest year-over-year rates of job growth among US metros in recent years and its unemployment rate is one of the lowest in its ranking. Moreover, the Atlanta region (which includes the city and its 11 surrounding counties) is expected to grow by 2.5 million people by 2040.

The top 10 were as follows:

No. 10 Jersey City, New Jersey
No. 9 Tampa, Florida
No. 8 Ann Arbor, Michigan
No. 7 Somerville, Massachusetts
No. 6 Columbia, Maryland
No. 5 Rogers Park, Illinois
No. 4 Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 3 Kirkland, Washington
No. 2 Tempe, Arizona
No. 1 Atlanta, Georgia

While it's easy to see how somewhere like Jersey City is in the top 10, given the visible rate of expansion in suburbs like Paulus Hook and Bayonne, it's entirely possible that this list was put together before Hurricane Ian thumped Tampa, thus reminding the population of the country that storm damage and hiked-up home insurance prices will almost certainly plague large cities along the Gulf of Mexico regularly in the future. 

So how did the major metropolitan cities fare? Well, they didn't really. The first city to feature from California was Irvine, in the number 13 spot, Fremont at number 18 then San Diego at 22 and San Jose at 25. Evidently, the high median household income ($125.765) somewhat softened the impact of the median home price ($1,366,827) in Silicon Valley. The highest entry — and indeed the only entry — for any locale in New York state was Glen Cove, at number 37. 

The full list can be read here. 

  • Scott Snowden Associate Editor

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