Florida’s Top 100 Places to Live Ranked

When it comes to the best communities in Florida to call home, the Tampa Bay area ranks well.

At least, that’s the conclusion the folks at Niche.com came to after crunching numbers related to job opportunities, public schools, crime and local amenities for neighborhoods across the state. In its 2016 Best Places to Live in Florida rankings, a number of Tampa Bay communities earned Top 10 honors. Those ranking high included Westchase, Carrollwood, Lake Magdalene and Pebble Creek.

To arrive at its findings, Niche.com pulled data from the American Community Survey, Uniform Crime Statistics and the National Climatic Data Center, among other sources. Rankings included a cost of living grade, education grade, real estate grade and other metrics. More details about the methodology can be read on Niche.com’s website.

While a number of Tampa Bay area communities made the list of 100, none in Pasco County pulled off ranking.

"The competition in Florida is pretty stiff for these lists, as there are so many great places to live throughout the state," explained Jessica Hair, Niche.com spokeswoman. Many communities that didn't make the Top 100 grade in the Tampa Bay area, however, are included on Niche's "50 Best Suburbs to Live in Tampa," rankings, including Land O' Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Safety Harbor and Dunedin, Hair said.

Niche’s rankings come as the Tampa Bay area and all of Florida are experiencing a population boom. Manatee and Pasco counties are considered among the country’s fastest-growing counties, according to data from the U.S. Census bureau. Florida’s population swelled to more than 20 million in 2015, making it the country’s third most populous state.

As for its Top 100 list, here’s how communities across the state ranked, according to Niche.com:

1. Pinecrest, Miami-Dade County
2. Doctor Phillips, Orange County
3. South Gate Ridge, Sarasota County
4. Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County
5. Maitland, Orange County
6. Westchase, Hillsborough County
7. Carrollwood, Hillsborough County
8. Lake Magdalene, Hillsborough County
9. Pebble Creek, Hillsborough County
10. Glenvar Heights, Miami-Dade County
11. Sarasota, Sarasota County
12. Bay Harbor Islands, Miami-Dade County
13. Miami Shores, Miami-Dade County
14. St. Augustine Beach, St. Johns County
15. Stuart, Martin County
16. Town ‘N Country, Hillsborough County
17. Ojus, Miami-Dade County
18. Palmetto Bay, Miami-Dade County
19. Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County
20. Villas, Lee County
21. Temple Terrace, Hillsborough County
22. Tampa, Hillsborough County
23. St. Augustine, St. Johns County
24. Altamonte Springs, Seminole County
25. South Miami, Miami-Dade County
26. McGregor, Lee County
27. North Bay Village, Miami-Dade County
28. North Sarasota, Sarasota County
29. Key Biscayne, Miami-Dade County
30. North Palm Beach, Palm Beach County
31. Fairview Shores, Orange County
32. Progress Village, Hillsborough County
33. Boca Raton, Palm Beach County
34. Feather Sound, Pinellas County
35. Lutz, Hillsborough County
36. Gainesville, Alachua County
37. Brandon, Hillsborough County
38. Lockhart, Orange County
39. Valparaiso, Okaloosa County
40. Orlovista, Orange County
41. St. Petersburg, Pinellas County
42. Kendall, Miami-Dade County
43. Winter Park, Orange County
44. Northdale, Hillsborough County
45. Englewood, Sarasota County
46. Naples Park, Collier County
47. South Bradenton, Manatee County
48. Delray Beach, Palm Beach County
49. Edgewood, Orange County
50. Ives Estates, Miami-Dade County
51. Orlando, Orange County
52. Key West, Monroe County
53. Marathon, Monroe County
54. Oviedo, Seminole County
55. Destin, Okaloosa County
56. Plantation, Broward County
57. Gulf Gate Estates, Sarasota County
58. Doral, Miami-Dade County
59. Cooper City, Broward County
60. Southgate, Sarasota County
61. Davie, Broward County
62. Lake Clarke Shores, Palm Beach County
63. Sarasota Springs, Sarasota County
64. Oakland Park, Broward County
65. Fern Park, Seminole County
66. Wright, Okaloosa County
67. Clearwater, Pinellas County
68. Hypoluxo, Palm Beach County
69. Venice Gardens, Sarasota County
70. Bee Ridge, Sarasota County
71. Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach County
72. West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County
73. Atlantis, Palm Beach County
74. St. Augustine South, St. Johns County
75. Memphis, Manatee County
76. Naples, Collier County
77. Virginia Gardens, Miami-Dade County
78. Bloomingdale, Hillsborough County
79. Lake Mary, Seminole County
80. Lake Worth, Palm Beach County
81. Riverview, Hillsborough County
82. Pensacola, Escambia County
83. Fort Myers, Lee County
84. Port Salerno, Martin County
85. Hollywood, Broward County
86. Citrus Park, Hillsborough County
87. Bonita Springs, Lee County
88. Bayshore Gardens, Manatee County
89. Seminole, Pinellas County
90. Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County
91. North Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County
92. Largo, Pinellas County
93. Aventura, Miami-Dade County
94. Tallahassee, Leon County
95. Estero, Lee County
96. Greenacres, Palm Beach County
97. Fort Lauderdale, Broward County
98. Jupiter, Palm Beach County
99. Apopka, Orange County
100. Cypress Lake, Lee County

To check out Niche’s full report, visit the website.

Niche also recently released a report about the 100 best places in the Sunshine State for raising a family.

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