2 Connecticut Cities Make U.S. News' Ranking Of '100 Best Places To Live'

Where is the best city to live in the United States? According to U.S. News & World Report, two of the best metro areas in the country are located right here in Connecticut.

The publication — certainly one of the more reputable outlets among the dearth of those who have recently begun trying to rank anything and everything — took a stab at it for the second year in a row, using highly reliable data to arrive at its conclusions.

The highest-ranking Connecticut city on the list was Hartford, coming in 31st and New Haven ranked 81st. Hartford received high marks for having “many cultural gems hidden amidst rolling hills and wooded neighborhoods. In the centuries since its founding, Hartford has been home to several notable historic figures, including renowned authors Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe,” according to U.S. News & World Report. Hartford’s historic attractions and entertainment venues were also cited as a strength, according to the report.

New Haven was called the “cultural capital of Connecticut,” because of its vast galleries, concert venues and coffee shops. Having Yale University in New Haven also helped a lot too with its ranking, according to U.S. News & World Report. The average age of a New Haven resident is 40 and the annual average salary is $53,680.

The top ranked city overall was Austin, Texas.

The report looked at the 100 most populous metro areas in the country and graded them based on several factors, including the job market and affordability. Those categories were given different weights and were combined to come up with the final ranking.

Here were the top 10 places to live in the country, according to the rankings:

1. Austin, TX
2. Denver, CO
3. San Jose, CA
4. Washington, DC
5. Fayetteville, AR
6. Seattle, WA
7. Raleigh & Durham, NC
8. Boston, MA
9. Des Moines, IA
10. Salt Lake City, UT

Click here to see this year's full list.

Here are the categories used to come up with the rankings, along with how heavily they were weighted:

• Job Market Index (20 percent): A look at both the 12-month moving unemployment rate and the median salary, weighted equally.
• Value Index (25 percent): A comparison of the median annual household income against the blended annual cost of living, which looks at utility costs and taxes compared against mortgage rates and monthly rents.
• Quality of Life Index (30 percent): A look at how satisfied residents are with their daily lives, which takes into account crime rates, quality and availability of health care, quality of education, well-being and the commuter index.
• Desirability Index (15 percent): Based off of a nationwide Google Consumer Survey that asked people which city they would like to live in.
• Net Migration (10 percent): Looking at how fast people are moving in or out of major metro areas.

You can read the full methodology here.

See the full rankings from U.S. News & World Report here.

With reporting by Marc Torrence

Patch file photo