The Best Places to Live in the U.S.
It's a common refrain when we travel: "Wouldn't if be great to just live here?" But visiting is very, very different from settling down in a new city—and it takes a lot more time to plan a move than a long-weekend trip. To help make your decision a little easier, U.S. News and World Report has released its annual list of the best places to live in the United States, compiled by looking at overall value, quality of life, and more. Keep in mind that one of the metrics used in the rankings is the current job market, so if you are looking for a change, you've come to the right place.
Want to move even farther afield? Check out the best cities in the world for expats.
This gallery was originally published in April 2016 and has been updated with new information.
Getty10. Raleigh-Durham, NC
Although any resident of Raleigh or Durham would give you an earful about that hyphen used to conjoin the two separate cities, U.S. News groups them together, due to the major airport that serves both towns. That being said, co-mingling the disparate cities is one of only a few things that rile up residents of the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill), who embody the charm and hospitality the South is so well-known for. Get used to smiles, hellos, and doors held open for you as you head to the world’s biggest beer garden or downtown for public art and a fast-rising food scene.
Getty9. Seattle, WA
Seattle residents know how to take advantage of their beautiful city. They understand the importance of spending time outdoors and balancing work with time away from their desks (we dare you to try calling someone’s office after 5:30 p.m.). And they really know how to eat: The city is an under-the-radar food paradise. Seattle captures the charm of the Northwest, mist and all, and the locals remain refreshingly low-key by staying active and breathing in as much fresh air as possible.
Getty8. Portland, OR
Sure, there are coffee shops and breweries galore in this hipster capital—but it's the museums, jaw-dropping parks and gardens, and creative food (James Beard was born here, after all) that have us wishing we lived Portland. The city's whole package (and plethora of indoor activities) make the fact that Portland sees less than 150 days of sunshine a year much more palatable.
Getty7. San Francisco, CA
Once you’ve climbed or cycled to the top of the Marin Headlands, and seen the Golden Gate Bridge reaching across the bay, it’s easy to understand why San Franciscans take so much pride in their hometown—and why they're all in such good shape. There are few major cities in the world—maybe Sydney and Cape Town—that are as easy on the eyes and as conducive to an outdoorsy, active lifestyle as San Francisco. While the tech boom has led to soaring prices and a new type of San Franciscan, the spirit of the city's bohemian, counter-culture past lives on in the diversity of its residents and its food scene—whether you are after ceviche in the Mission District, dim sum in SoMa, or a Michelin-starred experience at Californios.
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Getty6. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
We wouldn’t say we’d pick up and move to Minneapolis just for the Juicy Lucy —the city’s signature cheeseburger with the cheese inside the patty—but we’ve considered it. It isn’t just a burger that makes this half of the Twin Cities such a great place to settle down: there’s incredible contemporary art; a music scene that built the likes of Prince, the Replacements, and more; and a real mash-up of cultures (from Swedish to Somalian) that makes Minneapolis so diverse. (Need to see for yourself that Minneapolis really is a top-notch place to call home? Follow Traveler contributor Ashlea Halpern, who lives there, for an inside look.)
Getty5. Des Moines, IA
The benefit to living in a city that most people quite literally fly over getting from coast to coast is that you won't have to wait in line to see some of the city's greatest hits. Among them, an Eliel Saarinen-designed art museum filled with Warhols, O'Keeffes, and Lichtensteins, and some incredible Iowan wineries (yes, you read that right). And be sure to leave room in your new home for some of Des Moines's stellar antiques—Porchlight Antiques and West End Architectural Salvages are some of our go-tos.
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Getty4. Fayetteville, AR
It may be surprising to see Fayetteville, a small city in Arkansas on the edge of the Ozark National Forest, among this list's top five. But much of Fayetteville’s appeal comes from its industrious nature: The town is a short drive from the Bentonville headquarters of Walmart and home to the flagship campus of the state’s university system. Despite the fact that it's close to the largest private employer in the world—and a heck of a lot of college students—don't expect rent prices to be sky high. (The population is less than 90,000 after all.) In fact, Fayetteville’s cost of living remains a full 20 percent lower than the national average.
Getty3. Colorado Springs, CO
When the city limits include a park called Garden of the Gods, you know it's somewhere worth staying—and in Colorado Springs, you can actually afford to. Unlike many of the cities on this list, Colorado Springs is within the national average when it comes to cost of living, especially in comparison to cities of similar size. Even with a recent boom downtown, which is still dominated by local businesses, not chains, housing costs haven't increased too dramatically. All of this means that the long-time locals and recent transplants who have made the city their home—claiming its natural beauty as their own—have no real reason to leave.
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Getty2. Denver, CO
You don't have to drive far from the third to the second spot on this list. While the tech industry as a vitalizing force has been a common denominator on this list (San Francisco, Seattle, Austin), Denver's higher-than-average median income and historically progressive populace has developed into a city that goes far beyond the usual spread of tech office campuses. The Mile High City is built around, and with a great deal of respect for, the mountain range that surrounds it. Its residents love to climb, run, bike, kayak, ski, and interact with their environment in whatever way they can, and it’s that tendency that keeps them so healthy. When it’s time to blow off some steam, their city has some of the world’s best libations, from ale to vodka, all made with an emphasis on local and sustainable ingredients.
Getty1. Austin, TX
We all know it as the "Live Music Capital of the World" and have been told over and over again to “keep it weird,” and both labels are very much a part of why people love living in Austin. Yes, there are seemingly more venues than musicians (and there are a whole lot of musicians), and when a naked man in a cowboy hat zooms past you on a skateboard and no one even blinks, you know the city is plenty weird. But these trends are really just encapsulations of something more profound about Austin. Its very existence—as a haven for students, weirdos, artists, tech nerds, and families alike, in the middle of a generally conservative state—is an act of rebellion in itself, and the source of a strong, and unique, understanding of Texas Pride. To some, that sense of home might be threatened, as around 100 people move to the city every day, and prices rise as a result. But we have a feeling Austin will figure out how to keep its singular charm. It always has.