This North Carolina city is among the top 10 places to live in the US, rankings show
The Raleigh-Durham area is no longer among the top 10 best places to live, according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report — but Charlotte is.
The Queen City clinched the No. 6 spot for the 2020-2021 Best Places to Live, outranking Raleigh-Durham in the No. 11 spot.
Charlotte hasn’t historically been a heavy hitter in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. In 2019, it was listed as the 20th best place to live, moving up just two spots from the previous year. So what caused the sudden spurt in popularity?
“Charlotte is a region that’s equal parts old-fashioned southern charm and high-energy cosmopolitan bustle,” U.S. News reported. “You’ll still hear ‘y’all’ dropped into casual conversation, but Charlotte is a metro area on the rise, and has its own culture, culinary sophistication and unique feel that’s making it a more enticing place for people from all over the world to settle down.”
U.S. News also dropped its list of the best places to retire, which includes three North Carolina cities — Asheville (No. 8), Charlotte (No. 23) and Raleigh-Durham (No. 28).
Best places to live in NC
Cities like Austin and Denver have battled for the top spot on U.S. News’ best places to live for the last several years. But it was Boulder, Colorado, that snagged the No. 1 ranking this year, pushing Denver to No. 2 and Austin to No. 3.
Charlotte wasn’t far behind at No. 6 with an overall score of 7.3 out of 10.
Its “thriving craft brew scene,” greenway trails and professional sports teams were listed among the city’s best attributes. The median home sale price is slightly below the national average — with the exception of places like Myers Park — as is the unemployment rate. Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Lowe’s and American Airlines are some of the area’s top employers, the report found.
U.S. News did, however, acknowledge the downfalls to living in Charlotte: rising rent prices, high humidity and the glaring lack of “one cohesive public transportation system.”
The Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area trailed at No. 11 with an overall score of 7.2, dropping from the No. 10 spot in 2019.
U.S. News described the Triangle as “luring new residents every day with strong job growth and a high quality of life.”
The population is “young, friendly, diverse and educated,” according to the report. Similar to Charlotte, Raleigh and Durham also have a strong microbrewery scene, plenty of green spaces and “a growing art and music scene.” The report drew attention to the area’s cultural facilities, the cafes and bars surrounding N.C. State University and the number of live music venues — the most in the state, according to U.S. News.
While housing prices have continued to climb, the report found the area’s low property taxes “make home ownership easier than in other major cities” — particularly in rival tech hubs like San Francisco.
Five other North Carolina cities rounded out the U.S. News & World Report rankings for best places to live, including Asheville (No. 34), Hickory (No. 49), Winston-Salem (No. 59), Greensboro (No. 83) and Fayetteville (No. 143).
Best place to retire in NC
Asheville is somewhat of an unsung hero in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. It beat out Charlotte for best places to live last year, coming in at No. 16 ahead of Boise, Sarasota and Washington, D.C.
This year, it fell to 34th but took home the No. 8 spot for best places to retire.
Cities in Florida — home to some of the largest retirement communities in the U.S. — raked in seven of the top 10 spots. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, snagged No. 5, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, took No. 6, making Asheville one of just three places on the list not in Florida.
“Hailed as ‘The Land of the Sky,’ Asheville, NOrth Carolina, is often considered by outsiders to be a delightfully strange place,” U.S. News reported. “At an elevation of just over 2,000 feet, Asheville sits along the Blue Ridge Parkway and between the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests. The area boasts an outdoor-friendly culture that’s complemented by a hip downtown.”
Asheville also has a flare for the creative with more than 25 art galleries, studios and museums, according to the report.
Tourism is a major economic driver, but local residents or people who move from out of town “seem to appreciate the overall friendliness of this place – not to mention the mountain views,” U.S. News reported.
The weather is mild for a mountain town but the cost of living is rising, the report found. There are, however, no shortage of activities in Asheville — from hiking trails and art galleries to farmer’s markets and craft breweries. More than 4,000 college students live in the area thanks to UNC-Asheville, but U.S. News found it’s not exclusively inhabited by young people.
“The region is also a popular spot among retirees thanks to its pleasant climate and abundant activities,” according to the report.
Winston-Salem (No. 35), Greensboro (No. 61), Hickory (No. 90) and Fayetteville (No. 101) were also included on the list of best places to retire.
Methodology
U.S. News compiled its lists for the best places to live and retire using varying criteria.
For the best places to live, the media outlet surveyed “thousands of individuals throughout the U.S.” about what qualities they deemed important in finding a place to live. The results included the job market, housing affordability, quality of life, desirability and net migration.
U.S. News then used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and its previous rankings for best high schools and hospitals to compile the report.
A similar public survey was sent to people near retirement age, meaning ages 45 to 59, to determine “what matters most when considering where to retire,” according to U.S. News.
The deciding factors were happiness, housing affordability, quality of health care, tax rates for retirees, desirability and job market ratings. U.S. News again used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics as well its rankings for the best hospitals to compile the report.
This story was originally published October 13, 2020, 11:19 AM.
