We love lists. You probably have already noticed that. We have made dozens of them last year, and now, after singling out so many aspects of living, and catering to different demographics and moments of life, we decided to do the mother of all lists. The list that puts it all together and includes everyone in: the overall best cities to live in the USA.
But how did we arrive at this list?
To define the best places to live in the US, we not only did a sort of a sum from all of the lists we did last year but also considered aspects that are less specific and more general. Things that would be beneficial to both singles and families, Millennials starting out or Baby boomers retiring etc. All in all, we were searching for the middle ground here.
But different from what we usually do, we’ll list it backward. From #1 to #6. Why? Because, as we were compiling the list, we noticed that the higher up the list the less surprising was the choice. The truly unexpected cities to make the best places to live in the US are the ones that barely made the list. Let’s take a look:
1- Orlando, Florida
Well, Orlando Realtors® are not surprised, right? Orlando as number 1 was a no-brainer.
Not only Orlando grabbed the first place on both our best cities to invest in real estate and best places to retire list – while being featured at our best cities for families and almost making the best cities for singles – but Central Florida as a whole has been one area to keep an eye on with Tampa making the best cities to invest in real estate list. The area has grown like crazy in the last few years! Real Estate Agents in Orlando FL have never worked so much. And the trend is showing no signs of stopping either.
Aside from the well-known argument – and rightfully repeated by Orlando agents all the time – that Florida has no income tax, most Orlando residents will agree this city is for everyone. Diverse by design, old and young, country or metropolitan, Orlando and adjacent cities are developing themselves as a huge metropolitan area with a small town feel. Infrastructure has been steadily improving to attend to the highly touristic attractions within the city.
Now, although Orlando Estate Agents won’t complain about it since their real estate commissions are fine, wages still need to pick up. Otherwise, despite all the promise that Orlando has been keeping up with, the city will lose its reigning spot on our best cities to live in the USA; number 2 is not that far behind…
2- Austin, Texas
While Austin Realtors ® can be proud of their city, it should be noted that this is sort of a joint effort, and fellow agents in San Antonio, Laredo and Plano, Texas all deserve a little bit of credit for Austin landing the number 2 spot.
Let’s understand the thinking behind this decision: Texas is one big, important, powerful and great state to live in. So it was a sure thing one city from Texas should be included on the list. But which? While Austin Real Estate Companies were proud to be featured on our Best cities for singles, San Antonio was also on our best cities to invest in Real Estate, Laredo on our best places to live in the US with special needs children and Plano on the best cities for families.
Realtors in Austin TX will claim we picked them instead of the others because it is the state capital. But, although it is a valid criterion; come on, Austin Agents… we take much more than that into consideration! The thing with Austin is that it makes a better “high-low” combination than Plano (too small, family suburban) and San Antonio (bigger, with a high – almost monothematic – industrial concentration). Austin can be great for young people due to its fairer weather, great education options available(from elementary school all the way to college), great for both young and old people due to its abundant cultural activities with lots of parks and outdoor activities, an awesome quality of life, and a much better value (housing costs and household income) than most metro areas of the same size.
3- Arlington, Virginia
That’s the first surprise here, right? Maybe not for Arlington Real Estate Companies and definitely not for Jeff Bezos.
While we had included Arlington in our Best cities to invest in real estate list, after Amazon made its HQ2 Decision and Arlington became together with New York, the recipient of 25,000 jobs and an investment close to 1 billion dollars… well, it became difficult not to push Arlington up the list of best places to live in the US.
Real Estate Agents in Arlington VA are smiling from ear to ear, pumped with the challenge that is upon them. Their search for our service has increased since then; all wanting to register themselves on the Arlington Agent directory so that all the hundreds of people migrating to Virginia because of Amazon HQ can find them. The proximity to power (Washington DC) warrants the availability of great education from top to bottom, and Arlington Realtors® will note that the cultural life can be very rich with DC having some of the best museums in the USA, the airport having flights going everywhere… no wonder Amazon picked it to host its second headquarter, right?
Speaking of which… that’s a good segue to the next on the list:
4- Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the first huge city on our list, have you noticed? And its spot here is hanging by a thread, as Millennials are starting to move more and more to the suburbs. In fact, you will find Real Estate Agent in Seattle WA claiming it’s Seattle’s fault that this is happening. But it’s not that Seattle Realtors ® are self-deprecating or depressed; the thing is Seattle is arguably the Millennial “Mecca”, and its cultural experiment has been put to the test lately.
All it takes for you is to read our Real estate trends for 2019 and you will notice how many of them deal with homelessness caused by gentrification and non-sustainable economic development – all of them somehow connected with the last 20 years of Seattle via companies like Starbucks, Microsoft, and, yes, Amazon.
But hey, Seattle Estate Agents will rightfully point out that what will keep them great is exactly this constant worrying about the bad aspects of their might. Seattle – its society and governmental body – is in tune and well-aware of all those problems, tackling them with much more enthusiasm than cities that are overall much worse than them. Seattle is still one amazing experiment; definitely one of the best cities to live in the USA.
A great place for families – one of the best places to live in the US with special needs children due to its inclusive nature and accessibility efforts – with extraordinary culinary, awesome museums and cultural life, the Emerald City still makes it easy for Seattle Real Estate Companies to do their job of selling the city, despite the high prices. One last thing that made us include the city higher up the list is the fact that 2019 will likely see a slow down on Seattle’s average home price, so be ready to contact our Seattle Agents and move on up!
And now, on our last best cities to live in the USA spot…
5- New York, New York
We’re sure, although they are higher on the list, that Agents from Orlando, Austin, and professionals from any state, really, will understand the appeal of New York regardless of the moment.
New York is New York. It’s the modern American dream in a city format. You have a hard working diverse population, job opportunities for everyone, the most amazing cultural life with the best museums in the USA, parks, and if that wasn’t enough now New York has 25,000 more jobs available with Amazon HQ2.
Is it hectic? It can be. Are the prices crazy? There are worse places around. As a whole, doing the high-low evaluation, New York is so massive it can still rise up and be one of the best cities to live.
6- Alpharetta, Georgia
With an enviably low crime rate, excellent school districts and close proximity to the metropolitan city of Atlanta, no list of great places to live in the United States would be complete without its mention.
Alpharetta lies north of Atlanta, within driving distance of the legendary center for art and culture that the city has become, but far enough away to avoid a lot of the problems that have plagued the city such as crime, congestion, and high housing prices. If you are looking for a place to relocate to, why not give Alpharetta some thought?
If you think this charming southern town might be right for you, you’ll want to contact one of the top real estate agents in Alpharetta GA. Once you’ve found the perfect real estate agent for you, you’ll be one step closer to living in the beautiful city of Alpharetta Georgia!
What do you think about our list of the best cities to live in the USA? Share with us your opinion by leaving a comment below or share this list of best cities to live in the USA with your friends and family using social media! It can be a nice *wink wink* to your family of where you would like to live next, or even an “I’m moving if you don’t treat me right” threat to friends and people who are not recognizing your greatness!
