Three Georgia cities made the top 100 of Niche’s annual ranking of the best U.S. cities to live in. One even made it in to the top 20.
The goal of Niche’s Best Places to Live rankings is to provide “accurate, comparable and thorough evaluations of places,” its website states. To do so, Niche collected and analyzed dozens of ranking factors from federal and local government datasets, then combined them with proprietary data and community reviews.
To be included in the best cities category, an area must be a principal city for an urbanized area with a population of 100,000 or more.
Only one metro city made it into the top 20. With a population of 107,072, Sandy Springs finished No. 19.
“Living in Sandy Springs offers residents an urban suburban mix feel, and most residents rent their homes. In Sandy Springs there are a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks,” Niche wrote. “Many families and young professionals live in Sandy Springs and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Sandy Springs are above average.”
The city landed in the top 20 in three other categories: No. 12 for healthiest cities; No. 12 for healthiest places to live in America; and No. 17 for best cities to retire.
“Sandy Springs is a very welcoming environment,” one resident wrote in their four-star review. “I definitely recommend it to anyone that is looking for a family friendly area! The people here are very nice and I haven’t had any bad experiences with anyone out of my 5 years living here.”
Another resident, who gave the city five stars, wrote: “I like that there is a lot of greenery around, at least in my neighborhood. There are parks and playgrounds, and also lots of trees around. My neighborhood is generally quiet.”
The city of Atlanta ranked No. 42 on Niche’s list. In addition to its best cities rank, Atlanta finished No. 18 for young professionals, and No. 41 for healthiest cities.
“I love Atlanta. It is a bright and beautiful city with amazing places to visit,” one resident wrote in their five-star review. “The food and culture are unique and I think everyone who visits would love it.”
Another five-star reviewer wrote: “Atlanta is filled with diversity. It also has park attractions, a stadium, and the best restaurants all in one. A bonus for people looking for employment as there are a lot of opportunities for jobs available.”
The third Georgia city to crack the top 100 was Athens, finishing No. 70. Home to the University of Georgia, Athens ranked No. 76 for young professionals, and No. 80 for healthiest cities.
“Athens is a great college town. While it’s not a big city, there are plenty of things to do from spending a day a brewery to going to the farmer’s market. I also enjoy how many parks and trails are around the town,” one resident wrote in their five-star review of the city.
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