Money recently announced its annual ranking of the Best Places to Live. The list features 50 towns and cities where the economy, job growth, and housing market remained strong despite COVID-19 disruptions.
This year, Money looked at towns and cities with a population of at least 25,000 and placed the greatest emphasis on economic factors, like employment opportunities, as well as supply and demand for homes, cost of living, quality of schools, racial and economic diversity, and health and safety.
Money’s No. 1 pick for Best Places to Live this year is Evans, Ga., which is “brimming with good-paying jobs thanks to its proximity to Augusta as well as affordable homes, top schools, access to arts and culture, and a diverse population,” which some residents attribute to its military presence, according to the personal finance site.
In June, Evans residents saw a low unemployment rate of 5.2%, which was well below the 11.1% national average. Evans also had the lowest cost of living of any place with similarly high-income levels.
Parker, Colo., and Meridian, Idaho, landed in second and third place, respectively. Both cities topped the list because of access to high paying jobs in the booming tech sector, a healthy economy, and remarkable proximity to nature and outdoor activities.
“This year, given the general uncertainty around where and how we'll live, our list looks a little different," said Prachi Bhardwaj, lead reporter of Money’s Best Places to Live. “We shifted our priorities to pay more attention to cities that aren't just doing well now, but that show great promise and stability for the next five to ten years. We also included suburban towns situated further away from major metros and have more industry diversity than you've seen from our list in years past.”
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