[Vision2020] America’s 50 Best Cities to Live

[Kenneth Marcy]

America’s 50 Best Cities to Live

http://247wallst.com/special-report/2016/10/26/americas-50-best-cities-to-live-in/ 


By Thomas C. Frohlich <http://247wallst.com/author/thomas-c-frohlich/>, 
Evan Comen <http://247wallst.com/author/evan-comen/>, Samuel Stebbins 
<http://247wallst.com/author/samuel-stebbins/> and Michael B. Sauter 
<http://247wallst.com/author/michael-sauter/> October 26, 2016 6:00 am EDT


Moving from one city to another is much more common in the United States 
than it used to be. No matter the reasons for the move — buying a house, 
looking for a new job, leaving home for the first time — it is always a 
major undertaking. A host of factors play an important role in deciding 
where to move, including the quality of schools, the strength of the 
local economy and job market, safety, culture, and even climate. 
Americans facing this decision have much to consider.

To determine America’s best cities to live in, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 
data on the 550 U.S. cities with populations of 65,000 or more as 
measured by the U.S. Census Bureau. Based on a range of variables, 
including crime rates, employment growth, access to restaurants and 
attractions, educational attainment, and housing affordability, 24/7 
Wall St. identified America’s 50 Best Cities to Live.

Deciding where to live, or whether your current city meets your 
standards, can be a highly subjective assessment. In an interview with 
24/7 Wall St., Elise Gould, senior economist with nonprofit think tank 
the Economic Policy Institute, noted several personal factors that 
cannot be easily measured. The presence of a family support system or an 
individual’s personal preference for oceans or mountains, she explained, 
can have a major bearing on the decision of where to move — or whether 
to move at all.


Gould also acknowledged that the reasons for relocating differ 
considerably depending on the person or family. With children, the 
quality and presence of public schools becomes important; as a young 
person, the age of a population may be a significant factor; and, for 
someone without a large disposable income, the presence of certain 
amenities may be entirely irrelevant.

Still, for most Americans, a few social and economic characteristics 
largely account for a city’s desirability and overall quality. “People 
move for work,” Gould said. For many families on the move, the prospect 
of obtaining a job is often the most important — if not the only — 
consideration. For this reason, 24/7 Wall St. weighed this factor 
heavily when identifying the best places to live.

In 45 of the 50 best cities to live, the annual unemployment rates are 
below the national rate, and with a few exceptions, all 50 cities 
reported job growth at least in line with the national job growth rate. 
Incomes in these cities, when adjusted for cost of living, exceed the 
national annual household income of $55,775 in the vast majority of cases.

Many of the cities on this list are very expensive places to live. In 
Broomfield, Colorado, even after adjusting for the city’s high cost of 
living, the typical household income of $76,231 a year remains well 
above the national median. Conversely, many of the best cities have a 
relatively low cost of living, and already high incomes therefore become 
even higher.

The populations of many of these cities are also growing very fast. Over 
the past five years, the populations of all but a handful of the 50 
cities grew substantially faster than the national five-year population 
growth rate of 3.9%. Commenting on expensive cities with growing 
populations, Gould said, “the benefits must be outweighing those high 
costs.”


*2. Meridian, Idaho*
*> Population:* 90,753
*> Median home value:* $213,100
*> Poverty rate:* 10.7%
*> Pct. with at least a bachelor’s degree:* 35.2%

Meridian is located just outside of Idaho’s capital city of Boise. The 
city is safe — Just over 100 violent crimes were reported per 100,000 
residents in Meridian last year, a fraction of the national violent 
crime rate of 373 violent crimes per 100,000 people nationwide.

The city’s annual unemployment rate is quite low, At just 3.5% compared 
to the national jobless rate of 5.3%. Moreover, jobs are being added to 
the local economy faster than in most of the United States. The number 
of jobs increased by nearly 10% from 2013 through the end of last year, 
much faster than the national jobs growth rate of 4.0% over that period. 
Prospective employment is frequently the first priority for Americans 
considering relocation. With the strong job market, Meridian’s 
population has been growing dramatically in recent years. The city’s 
population growth rate of over 20% over the five years through 2015 is 
more than five times the nation’s 5-year population growth rate of 3.9%.


*Ken*


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