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NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Meredith Corporation's (NYSE: MDP: Meredith.com) MONEY.com announced its annual Best Places to Live list with Clarksville, Tennessee, ranked No. 1, followed by Round Rock, Texas, and Fishers, Indiana, respectively. The list, first published more than 30 years ago, takes into account each city's economic health, cost of living, diversity, public education, income, crime, ease of living and amenities, among other data points.
"We're excited to announce this year's list of the 100 best places to live in America, which, for the first time, includes neighborhoods as well as cities," says Shaina Mishkin, the writer at MONEY.com who oversaw the project. "The average American will move nearly a dozen times during his or her lifetime. Our Best Places to Live franchise gives individuals and families the guidance they need to make informed decisions about where they will have the best living experience across the country."
MONEY's Top 10 Best Places to Live are as follows:
- Clarksville, Tennessee
- Round Rock, Texas
- Fishers, Indiana
- Fulton River District, Chicago, Illinois
- Country Club Heights, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Draper, Utah
- Bentonville, Arkansas
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Meridian, Idaho
- Winter Garden, Florida
Click here to view MONEY's complete 2019 Best Places to Live list.
This year's rankings include winners in 42 states and count 10 states with four places each on the list: Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
The variety of winners ranges from a family-friendly suburb in Indiana to a bustling downtown neighborhood in Denver. Clarksville, Tennessee, MONEY's No. 1 pick, is attracting young homebuyers with its affordable prices and growing economy; the average home costs $155,000 and companies like Google and LG are moving to the area, with jobs predicted to grow nearly 10% in coming years.
The list also reflects the larger demographic changes within the U.S., as Americans are increasingly leaving large coastal cities in favor of warmer climates, more affordable housing and better job opportunities. Each year, roughly 40 million Americans, or about 14 percent of the U.S. population, move at least once.
Methodology
MONEY's rankings include only places with populations of 50,000 or greater. Places with 300,000 or more people were broken down into neighborhoods, and from there we considered only neighborhoods with estimated populations between 5,000 and 200,000. Places with more than double the national crime risk, less than 85% of its state's median household income, or a lack of ethnic diversity were screened out, resulting in 1,796 places.
More than 160,000 different data points were then collected to narrow the list, including economic health, cost of living, ethnic and economic diversity, public education, income, health and safety, ease of living and amenities, all provided by research partner Witlytic. The greatest weight was given to economic factors, housing, health and safety, diversity and cost of living. Quality of life, education and local amenities were also critical components.
Finally, MONEY reporters researched each place and interviewed residents in our top-ranking locations.
To ensure a geographically diverse set, MONEY limited the Best Places to Live list to no more than four places per state and one per county. States were represented only once per every 25 places. Places that made the list last year were not included in this year's ranking. For a full methodology, click here.
ABOUT MONEY.COM
MONEY is a multi-platform source of personal stories, candid conversations and useful information about money and the way it affects our lives. With a nearly 50-year legacy of providing trustworthy advice on every aspect of personal finance, MONEY helps its readers lead a richer life—in every sense of the word. Signature franchises include Best Colleges and Best Places to Live, an aspirational guide to the towns and cities around the country that provide the best launchpad for your family's overall well-being. Find us at MONEY.com.
ABOUT MEREDITH CORPORATION
Meredith Corporation has been committed to service journalism for more than 115 years. Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms—including broadcast television, print, digital, mobile and video—to provide consumers with content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners. Meredith's National Media Group reaches more than 190 million unduplicated American consumers every month, including over 90 percent of U.S. millennial women. Meredith is the No. 1 magazine operator in the U.S. and owner of the largest premium content digital network for American consumers. Meredith's Local Media Group includes 17 television stations, reaching 11 percent of U.S. households.
SOURCE Meredith Corporation
