U.S. News World Report today unveiled the 2016 Best Places to Live in the United States. The new list ranks the country's 100 largest metropolitan areas based on affordability, desirability, value, job prospects and quality of life. Denver, Colorado, is named the No. 1 place to live on the inaugural list, followed by Austin, Texas, at No. 2. Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, take the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively. A second Colorado city, Colorado Springs, rounds out the top five.
The 2016 Best Places to Live ranking was determined in part by a public survey of thousands of individuals across the U.S. to find out what makes a place desirable to live in. The methodology also factors in data from the United States Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as U.S. News rankings of the Best High Schools and Best Hospitals.
"The Best Places to Live ranking accounts for the most important concerns people have about where to live, such as cost of living, employment opportunities and access to good schools," said Miriam Weiner, product manager for Real Estate at U.S. News. "Top-ranked areas not only have steady job markets, but they also have attributes that contribute to a high quality of life – affordability, low crime rates, shorter commute times and quality health care."
Roughly two-thirds of the U.S. population lives within one of the metropolitan areas on the Best Places to Live list. Among these cities, some smaller ones in the middle of the country make a notably strong showing.
With a close proximity to Denver and the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs ranks in the top 10 because it is viewed as a desirable place to live. The ranking said Denver residents are "an easygoing crowd of ambitious, progressive-minded fitness fanatics and nature lovers who are eager to push the envelop on everything from civil rights to drug laws."
It also says Denver has some of the best winter weather in the country, a popular misconception. "Those unfamiliar with the Mile High City may think that winters are bad, but Denver usually experiences bright blue skies and powdery snow that melts by noon."
2016 U.S. News Best Places to Live Rankings – Top 20
- Denver, CO
- Austin, TX
- Fayetteville, AR
- Raleigh-Durham, NC
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Boise, ID
- Seattle, WA
- Washington, DC
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Des Moines, IA
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Sarasota, FL
- Charlotte, NC
- San Diego, CA
- Houston, TX
- Omaha, NE
- Charleston, SC
- Portland, OR
