Arlington Ranks Among 'Top 100 Best Places to Live,' Livability Study Says

PHOTO: Arlington County Fair photo from Patch archive

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Arlington County ranks among the “Top 100 Best Places to Live,” according to a new study by Livability out Monday.

So how did Arlington rank? The county came in at #49 on the list, sandwiched between Lincoln, Neb. and Irvine, Calif.

Other DC metro and Virginia places that made the list:

• Rockville: #17
• Alexandria: #56
• Charlottesville: #21
• Fredericksburg: #92
• Bethesda: #100

Livability ranked more than 2,000 cities with populations between 20,000 and 350,000 to come up with their third annual Top 100 Best Places to Live. The #1 ranked town was Rochester, Minn. The study said Rochester’s “diverse range of affordable housing” helped push it to the top spot.

The data-driven list is based on more than 40 data points. This year they collaborated with urbanist Richard Florida and assistant clinical professor Steven Pedigo from the Initiative for Creativity and Innovation in Cities at NYU School of Professional Studies, EMSI and a board of advisors in shaping their methodology on how they rank the cities and counties.

Here’s what Livability had to say about Arlington (and we note here that yes, Arlington is a county, not a city and yes, the TSA is moving out of the county):

Chief among the reasons why Arlington is a Top 100 Best Place to Live are the city’s strong educational system, growing economy, and thriving arts and culture scene. Residents pay a premium to enjoy historic houses, views of the Potomac River, and proximity to George Mason University and Marymount University. Many Arlington residents work for the federal government, which has several agencies and departments in the city, including the Department of Defense, Drug Enforcement Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.

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