Sarasota Ranks No. 14 'Best City To Live In 2016' By U.S, News and World Report

By MARC TORRENCE (Patch National Staff)

U.S. News and World Report, known for its respected lists of U.S. schools, hospitals, cars and more, introduced its Best Places To Live rankings this year, it said, "to help readers make the most informed decision when choosing where to settle down."

The report includes the top 100 most populous metro areas and were graded based on the job market, how affordable it is and whether or not people are moving to or away from the city.

And Sarasota came in at No. 14!

"Warm temperatures year-round, award-winning beaches and a thriving arts and cultural scene have made Sarasota a go-to place for retirees and families, not to mention a handful of celebrities (including Stephen King and Rosie O'Donnell)," wrote Vanessa Caceres.

And, Tampa ranked as well, scoring the No. 42 spot.

Without further ado, here were the top 15:

1.Denver, Colorado

2. Austin, Texas

3. Fayetteville, Arkansas

4. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

5. Colorado Springs, Colorado

6. Boise, Idaho

7. Seattle, Washington

8. Washington, D.C.

9. San Francisco, California

10. San Jose, California

11. Des Moines, IA

12. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

13. Grand Rapids, MI

14. Sarasota, FL

15. Charlotte, NC

How did the cities get there?

U.S. News and World Report used five major metrics, all weighted differently, to come up with their top-line number for the overall rankings.

They were:

• Job Market Index (20 percent): a combination of the area's unemployment rate and value index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Value Index (25 percent): essentially, how affordable (or not) it is to live in a city, using median houshold income and annual cost of living. Both of these were weighted against whether the person owned their home or rented it.
• Quality of Life Index (30 percent): a combination of crime rates, quality of health care, quality of education, well-being and average commute time.
• Desirability Index (15 percent): a survey that asked people whether they actually liked living where they do.
• Net Migration (10 percent): how many people are moving to or from a city.

And because we all want to make fun of people who live in less-than-desirable areas based on internet lists, here were the bottom 10 places to live:

100. San Juan, Puerto Rico

99. Modesto, California

98. Stockton, California

97. Fresno, California

96. New York City, New York

95. Bakersfield, California

94. Memphis, Tennessee

93. Miami, Florida

92. Providence, Rhode Island

91. New Orleans, Louisiana

90. Chicago, Illinois

See the full rankings here. And read the full methodology here.