Tap the chowdah keg, we got some celebratin’ to do!! Niche has released it’s Best Cities To Live In list for 2023 and Massachusetts gets this year’s nod for being home to the best city to live in in 2023! Wahooooo!
In their report cities are definied as urbanized areas where more than 100,000 people live. The ratings were based on factors including: affordability, the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, quality of area public schools, walkability, and more.
Here are Niche’s 20 Best Cities to Live In in 2023:
#20 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Alexandria, VA
Alexandria is known for its rich history and well-preserved colonial architecture. The city was founded in 1749 and played an important role in the American Revolution, serving as a major port and supply center for the Continental Army.
#19 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Raleigh, NC
Raleigh is known as the “City of Oaks” due to the numerous oak trees that line the city’s streets and parks. In fact, the city’s official seal and flag both feature an oak tree.
#18 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Sandy Springs, GA
Sandy Springs hosts Sandy Springs Artsapalooza, which features over 150 artists showcasing their work, and the Sandy Springs Festival, which is a two-day celebration of the city’s culture and heritage.
#17 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Madison, WI
Madison is known as the “City of Four Lakes” due to its location on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, and its proximity to Lake Waubesa and Lake Kegonsa. The city’s lakes are a major source of recreation and scenic beauty, and offer a wide range of activities such as boating, fishing, swimming, and ice skating.
#16 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara is home to Levi’s Stadium, which is the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers NFL team and has hosted numerous high-profile events, including Super Bowl 50 in 2016. The city also has a rich history, having been founded in 1777 and serving as the site of several important battles during the California Gold Rush.
#15 Best City To Live In in 2023:
San Fransisco, CA
San Fransisco is home to the world’s crookedest street, Lombard Street. Located in the Russian Hill neighborhood, the street features eight sharp turns over a one-block section, with a 27% grade. Lombard Street was originally designed this way in order to make the steep hill more navigable for cars, and today it is a popular tourist attraction with over 2 million visitors each year.
#14 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Sunnyvale, CA
Sunnyvale is home to the world-famous Yahoo headquarters, which is now a part of Verizon Media after being acquired by the company in 2017. Yahoo was founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo while they were students at nearby Stanford University, and the company quickly became one of the most successful and influential internet companies in the world.
#13 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Seattle, WA
Seattle is the birthplace of Starbucks, the world’s largest coffeehouse chain. The first Starbucks store opened in the historic Pike Place Market in 1971, and today there are more than 31,000 Starbucks locations worldwide.
#12 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Richardson, TX
Richardson is home to the world’s largest backyard swimming pool, according to the Guinness World Records. The pool, called the “Waikiki” pool, was built in 1957 and measures 180 feet by 140 feet, with a maximum depth of 12 feet. The pool was originally built for the public, but is now owned by a private homeowner who uses it for family gatherings and other events. The pool is so large that it even has its own zip code!
#11 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Plano, TX
Plano is known for its vibrant arts scene, which includes numerous theaters, music venues, and galleries, as well as its extensive park system, which features over 70 parks and over 4,000 acres of green space.
#10 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Bellevue, WA
Bellevue is home to some of the largest and most successful technology companies in the world, including Microsoft and T-Mobile. The city has a thriving tech industry, which has attracted numerous other high-tech companies, start-ups, and venture capitalists to the area.
#9 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Overland Park, KS
Overland Park has been ranked as one of the best cities to live in the United States by various publications. In fact, in 2020, Overland Park was ranked as the #1 best city to live in the United States by Livability.com.
#8 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor is known for its vibrant cultural scene, which includes numerous music venues, theaters, and art galleries, as well as the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair, which attracts over 500,000 visitors each year.
#7 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Irvine, CA
Irvine is one of the safest cities in the United States, with a crime rate that is consistently lower than the national average. In fact, in 2020, Irvine was named the safest city in California and the sixth-safest city in the United States by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. This is due in part to the city’s well-planned layout, extensive community policing programs, and a strong commitment to public safety.
#6 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Berkeley, CA
Berkeley is home to the oldest campus in the University of California system, the University of California, Berkeley, which was founded in 1868.
#5 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Columbia, MD
One interesting fact about Columbia is that it was designed to be a racially and economically integrated community at a time when segregation and suburban sprawl were major issues in the United States. In fact, the founder of Columbia, James Rouse, believed that “a truly successful city…is not one that is planned for automobiles but one where a man can live his life without having to get into his car all the time.” As a result, Columbia was designed to be walkable, with a network of paths and bike lanes that connect the residential areas to the downtown core.
#4 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Naperville, IL
One interesting fact about Naperville, IL is that it is home to the Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon, a massive bell tower and carillon instrument that contains 72 bells.
#3 Best City To Live In in 2023:
The Woodlands, TX
The Woodlands, TX is a master-planned community that was founded by oil industry investor George P. Mitchell in the early 1970s. One interesting fact about The Woodlands is that it has over 200 miles of hike and bike trails, making it one of the most extensive trail systems in the United States.
#2 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Arlington, VA
Arlington, Virginia is home to the largest office building in the world, the Pentagon. The Pentagon serves as the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense and has over 6.5 million square feet of office space, which is enough to accommodate approximately 25,000 employees. Interestingly, the Pentagon was built in just 16 months, starting in September 1941, and was designed to be both functional and secure, with reinforced concrete walls and blast-resistant windows. Today, the Pentagon is a major tourist attraction and a symbol of American military power.
#1 Best City To Live In in 2023:
Cambridge, MA
Cambridge, Massachusetts is home to both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), two of the world’s most prestigious universities. In fact, the city is often referred to as the “intellectual capital of the United States” because of its high concentration of academic and research institutions. The two universities combined have produced over 150 Nobel laureates and have a significant impact on scientific and technological advancements.
