Livability just came out with their 2nd annual top 100 best small to mid-sized cities in the U.S.
More than 2,000 cities were ranked by the following criteria:
- Amenities: Variety of terrain; access to water; farmers markets; golf courses; parks; a moderate climate; role of arts in the community.
- Demographics: Racial, ethnic, and age diversity; population growth.
- Economy: income inequality; income growth forecasts; employment; the amount residents spend on food.
- Education: Quality of public schools; presence of colleges and universities; education levels of the adults.
- Health care: Presence of hospitals within the town limits; low-birth-weight rate among children; obesity rates among adults; ratio of primary care physicians per 100,000 residents.
- Housing: Access to affordable housing; diversity of housing stock.
- Social and civic capital: Who are the people in your neighborhood? and what do they do for your neighborhood?
- Transportation: Access to major airports; walkability; transportation costs; percentage of the population who commute to work by some means other than driving alone.
Below are the top 100 cities:
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Rochester, Minnesota
- Arlington, Virginia
- Boulder, Colorado
- Palo Alto, California
- Berkeley, California
- Santa Clara, California
- Missoula, Montana
- Boise, Idaho
- Iowa City, Iowa
- Bozeman, Montana
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Bellevue, Washington
- San Mateo, California
- Santa Barbara, California
- Overland Park, Kansas
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Rockeville, Maryland
- Eugene, Oregon
- Pasadena, California
- Fargo, North Dakota
- Ventura, California
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Sunnyvale, California
- Mountain View, California
- St. Louis Park, Minnesota
- Santa Monica, California
- Durham, North Carolina
- Ames, Iowa
- San Rafael, California
- Frederick, Maryland
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Lakewood, Colorado
- Provo, Utah
- Sandy Springs, Georgia
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Miami Beach, Florida
- Quincy, Massachusetts
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Towson, Maryland
- Tempe, Arizona
- Portland, Maine
- Alameda, California
- Renton, Washington
- Bellingham, Washington
- Beaverton, Oregon
- Fullerton, California
- Columbia, Missouri
- Bismarck, North Dakota
- Helena, Montana
- Irvine, California
- Reno, Nevada
- Olympia, Washington
- Santa Cruz, California
- West Des Moines, Iowa
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- Ashland, Oregon
- Monterey, California
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Alexandria, Virginia
- North Bethesda, Maryland
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Lexington, Kentucky
- White Plains, New York
- Costa Mesa, California
- Corvallis, Oregon
- Manhattan, Kansas
- Tampa, Florida
- Silver Spring, Maryland
- Kirkland, Washington
- Lawrence, Kansas
- Westminster, Colorado
- Bend, Oregon
- Redmond, Washington
- Santa Rosa, California
- Goleta, California
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Stamford, Connecticut
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Denton, Texas
- Springfield, Missouri
- Orlando, Florida
- Menlo Park, California
- Salem, Oregon
- Burbank, California
- Hayward, California
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Richardson, Texas
- Tysons Corner, Virginia
- La Crosse, Wisconsin
- Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Framingham, Massachusetts
- Billings, Montana
- Brookline, Massachusetts
- Coral Gables, Florida
Do you live in one of the above cities?
Do you agree with the ranking criteria? (I’m surprised crime rate isn’t a criterion.)
~Eowyn