Leesburg Ranked A Best Small City In America

Leesburg might not be the biggest in the state, but the community recently received recognition as one of the best small cities in the nation. The city narrowly missed the top 10, coming in at 12th on the list and ranking higher than all other Virginia cities that also made the cut.

Personal finance site WalletHub released its 2019 Best Small Cities in America list this week, which only included metros with populations between 25,000 and 100,000. The list compared more than 1,200 cities across the nation based on 42 key indicators of liveability, including home ownership rate, the number of performing arts centers in the area, job growth and more.

Each relevant metric was listed with its corresponding weight and the cities were subsequently graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the maximum small city experience.

Leesburg fared well in many categories, such as education and health and safety, earning it a spot in the 99th percentile overall for best small cities in the United States.

Here are some rankings earned by the city, according to the list:

• Total Score: 69.86
• Affordability: 177
• Economic Health: 290
• Education & Health: 8
• Quality of Life: 199
• Safety: 126

Leawood, Kansas, ranked as the best small city in the nation, according to WalletHub, followed by Brentwood, Tennessee and Sammamish, Washington.

Bessemer, Alabama, finished as the worst small city in the United States.

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Small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes, to name just a few advantages,” authors of the WalletHub study said.

Here are the top 10 overall small cities in the country:

1. Leawood, Kansas: 71.98
2. Brentwood, Tennessee: 71.53
3. Sammamish, Washington: 71.34
4. Melrose, Massachusetts: 70.7
5. Carmel, Indiana: 70.59
6. Lexington, Massachusetts: 70.55
7. Milton, Massachusetts: 70.46
8. Brookfield, Wisconsin: 70.38
9. Fair Lawn, New Jersey: 70.25
10. Cedar Park, Texas: 69.98

Patch editor Gus Saltonstall contributed to this article.