When it comes to your hometown, there's something about it that creates a certain sense of pride. Those living in Ann Arbor can now be proud of where they stand in the ranks among some of the best places to live in the United States, making the top 20 out of 150 other locations nationwide!
Conducted by U.S. News, the study analyzed 4 main metrics: Quality of Life, Value, Desirability, and Job Markets. Each category has a set of sub-metrics that receive a weighted percentage toward each location's overall score and final rankings.
Quality of Life makes up the majority of each location's overall score, receiving 36% of the weight, with the other 3 metrics receiving close to the same valuation. Considerations for each sub-metric included but were not limited to, crime rates, quality of education, housing affordability, average area salary, and unemployment rates
While Wisconsin's Green Bay managed to make it to the #1 spot in the nation, Ann Arbor wasn't too far behind — coming in at #14 and solidifying its spot as the #1 place to live in Michigan with an overall score of 6.7. Ann Arbor's Quality of Life score sits at a comfortable 7.9, while the city's overall Value scored at 6.4.
Ann Arbor wasn't the only Michigan city to make the top 100, though. Grand Rapids wasn't too far behind, coming in at #20, followed by Lansing in #83, and Kalamazoo in the #90 slot. Detroit and Flint also made the list, coming in at #114 and #130, respectively.
Not from Michigan but looking for another reason to brag on your city? See if your hometown made the cut on the full ranking list below:
- Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Raleigh & Durham, North Carolina
- Boulder, Colorado
- Sarasota, Florida
- Naples, Florida
- Portland, Maine
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Boise, Idaho
- San Jose, California
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Melbourne, Florida
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Albany, New York
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Syracuse, New York
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Tampa, Florida
- Hickory, North Carolina
- Rochester, New York
- Buffalo, New York
- Pensacola, Florida
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
- Portland, Oregon
- Savannah, Georgia
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Washington, D.C.
- Austin, Texas
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Richmond, Virginia
- Spartanburg, South Carolina
- Boston, Massachusetts
- San Francisco, California
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Daytona Beach, Florida
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Manchester, New Hampshire
- Orlando, Florida
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Quad Cities Area of Iowa and Illinois — Davenport-Bettendorf, Iowa to Rock Island, Illinois
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Hartford, Connecticut
- Springfield, Missouri
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Tallahassee, Florida
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Youngstown, Ohio
- Port St. Lucie, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Huntington, West Virginia & Ashland, Kentucky to Ohio Metro Areas
- Ocala, Florida
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Columbus, Ohio
- Peoria, Illinois
- Trenton, New Jersey
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Kansas City, Missouri
- August, Georgia
- Lousiville, Kentucky
- South Bend, Indiana
- Worcester, Massachusetts
- York, Pennsylvania
- Reno, Nevada
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Seattle, Washington
- Salisbury, Maryland
- Lansing, Michigan
- Toledo, Ohio
- Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Providence, Rhode Island
- Wichita, Kansas
- Reading, Pennsylvania
- Lafayette, Louisiana
- Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Fort Myers, Florida
- Columbia, South Carolina
- San Diego, California
- Montgomery, Alabama
- New Haven, Connecticut
- Tucson, Arizona
- Cleveland, Ohio
- New York City, New York
- Denver, Colorado
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- San Antonia, Texas
- Spokane, Washington
- Lakeland, Florida
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Springfield, Massachusetts
- Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Eugene, Oregon
- Dalla-Fort Worth, Texas
- Detroit, Michigan
- Mobile, Alabama
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Shreveport, Louisiana
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi
- Killeen, Texas
- Chicago, Illinois
- Santa Barbara, California
- Santa Rosa, California
- Salem, Oregon
- Sacramento, California
- El Paso, Texas
- New Orlean, Louisiana
- Flint, Michigan
- Beaumont, Texas
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Rockford, Illinois
- Brownsville, Texas
- Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- McAllen, Texas
- Miami, Florida
- Los Angeles, California
- Houston, Texas
- Dayton, Ohio
- Vallejo & Fairfield, California
- Salina, Califonia
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Modesto, California
- Fresno, California
- Visalia, California
- Stockton, California
- Bakersfield, California
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
Did your hometown make the cut? Let me know in the comments!
Article by Rachael Volpe