1 PA Township Makes Money’s '50 Best Places To Live'

ABINGTON, PA — One Pennsylvania municipality landed among the best places to live in America, according to a new ranking released this week by Money.

Abington, in Montgomery County, has been ranked 24th on 2022's ranking of the 50 Best Places to Live in the U.S. Money says it includes cities that offer the best in economic opportunities, quality of life, and diversity. This year, researchers also set out to feature a more diverse list of cities than in past years.

Abington is no stranger to such accolades. The township was 74th on a broader version of the ranking in 2019, and then 19th in 2020. It missed the list in 2021, and was replaced by Lower Merion at 37th overall (Lower Merion did not make the 2022 list).

“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.”

With a population of 56,216, Abington residents have a median household income of $99,120 while the city’s unemployment rate is 3.6 percent.

Researchers pointed out several aspects of the township that makes it a special place, ranging from schools, trails, nature, a culture of health and wellness, proximity to Philadelphia, and, particularly, it's family friendly nature.

"There are plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained year-round," writers note. "The town’s parks and recreation department offers youth programs that range from tee-ball to “ultimate warrior” camps. For budding STEM aficionados, the department also offers programs on forensics, engineering and “Super Slimy Science,” a journey through different scientific fields where kids can play with slime, build a catapult, learn about optical illusions and more."

Abington-Lansdale Hospital and Willow Grove Mall were also highlighted.

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.

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.