Austin, Texas, once again topped U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Places to Live in the USA” list for 2019. The Texas capital has topped the list for the past three years.
Austin, known as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” scored highest on desirability for its music venues and local bands, as well as its food scene and accessibility to outdoor activities (it boasts more than 250 parks). It also has become a major tech hub that continues to draw in new residents. Home prices have risen—the median price is $390,000, according to realtor.com®—but it’s still far less than San Francisco, which landed at number seven on this year’s list and has a median listing price of $1.4 million.
U.S. News & World Report ranked 125 of the largest metros by evaluating data on job markets, housing affordability, quality of life (measured by resident surveys), and net migration (the number moving into or away from the metro area). Here are this year’s top 12 finishers:
- Austin, Texas
- Denver
- Colorado Springs
- Fayetteville, Ark.
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
- San Francisco
- Portland, Ore.
- Seattle
- Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
- Huntsville, Ala.
- Madison, Wis.
View the full 2019 list at U.S. News & World Report.
Source: “125 Best Places to Live in the USA,” U.S. News & World Report (April 2019) and “America’s Best City to Live in Is … Seriously? Again?!” realtor.com® (April 10, 2019)
