Atlanta Is The No. 1 Place To Live: Money Magazine

Georgia — Atlanta is the No. 1 place to live in the United States, according to a new ranking released this week by Money. Marietta was also included in the ranking.

The 2022 ranking of 50 Best Places to Live in the U.S. includes cities that offer the best in what matters most to residents: economic opportunities, quality of life, and diversity, according to Money. This year, researchers also set out to feature a more diverse list of cities than in past years.

“We kept returning to the question, ‘best places to live for whom?’” researchers said on Money’s website. “(Previous cities were) often quaint, affordable — and unintentionally yet overwhelmingly white. We wanted to create a more welcoming list for a broader group of people this year, so we restructured our data gathering and ranking processes to reflect that priority.”

Atlanta ranked the highest on the list among cities in Georgia. With a population of 487,560 people, Atlanta residents have a median household income of $82,859 while the city’s unemployment rate is 3.1 percent.

Atlanta is home to a botanical garden, four professional sports teams and the High Museum of Art.

“Locals are particularly fond of The Varsity, a drive-in burger joint that opened in 1928, and the Busy Bee Cafe, a diner that’s been slinging soul food since the ‘40s,” Money researchers said.

Another city on the list is Marietta, ranked No. 35.

To determine the cities on this year’s list, Money analyzed data in nine different areas: cost of living, diversity, economic opportunity, education, fun and amenities, health and safety, the housing market, income and personal finance, and quality of life.

Data was collected from several sources including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Read more about the methodology for Money’s Best Places To Live.

The top city on this year’s list is Atlanta, Georgia.

“This is no accident,” researchers said. “At a time when people are becoming much more introspective about their role in society, our goal this year was to name a number one where anyone can feel like they belong. And for that, Atlanta is hard to beat.”

Following Atlanta is Tempe, Arizona, at No. 2, and Kirkland, Washington, at No. 3.

See the full list of Best Places To Live.