Niche 2023 Best Cities To Live: Alexandria Ranks On National List

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria ranks among the nation's top cities on the "Best Cities to Live in America," list published Monday by Niche.

Alexandria ranked 20th on the Best Cities to Live in America list. Niche, an online platform that ranks cities and communities as a way to help students and their parents find the schools and places to live that are right for them, has been publishing the "Best Cities to Live in America" rankings for nine consecutive years.

In the 2023 ranking, Niche gave Alexandria an overall A+ grade. The city received A+ grades for health and fitness as well as nightlife, A for being good for families, outdoor activities and diversity, and A- for commute. A B+ grade was given for public schools and B grades were assigned for jobs and weather. It received a C+ for crime and safety, C for cost of living and C+ for housing.

Niche creates the annual Best City to Live rankings by using data from several sources, including the U.S. Census, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, combined with resident reviews.

The company considers factors such as affordability, the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, area public schools, walkability and other factors.

"We are proud to be a trusted resource for families, homebuyers, professionals and retirees alike in their research," Luke Skurman, CEO and founder of Niche, said in a statement Monday. "Families wondering about an area’s school district can also use our comprehensive school profiles and rankings to get a feel for their child’s potential school."

Neighboring Arlington County ranked second on the national list. Another regional suburb, Columbia, Maryland, was fifth.

Here are the top 10 places in Niche's 2023 ranking of the "Best Cities to Live in America":

1. Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. Arlington, Virginia
3. The Woodlands, Texas
4. Naperville, Illinois
5. Columbia, Maryland
6. Berkeley, California
7. Irvine, California
8. Ann Arbor, Michigan
9. Overland Park, Kansas
10. Bellevue, Washington

See the full 2023 Best Places to Live rankings from Niche.