Top Places List

Doug Stremel

LIV

SCORE

666

11
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

Overland Park, KS

Population: 181,464

With some of the lowest property taxes in Kansas and a reputation for smart growth, Overland Park is a leading community where several companies have established their corporate headquarters, including Sprint, the city’s largest employer.

Read More
Photo by Gabriel Loughlin Photography

LIV

SCORE

665

12
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

Cambridge, MA

Population: 107,916

Go to the head of the class for knowing that Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are both in Cambridge! In addition, this smart city is home to numerous tech firms and entrepreneurial ventures.

Read More
Matt Carmichael

LIV

SCORE

664

13
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

Berkeley, CA

Population: 117,384

Famous for its academics and dedication to free speech, Berkeley houses the University of California, Berkeley, which sits along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay.

Read More
Wikipedia

LIV

SCORE

664

14
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

Fort Collins, CO

Population: 153,292

A veteran of the Best Places to Live list, Fort Collins is a charming community with Colorado State University helping to set the economic and cultural tone.

Read More
Courtesy of Maziar Hooshmand under a CC 4.0 license.

LIV

SCORE

664

15
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

Irvine, CA

Population: 238,474

An average temperature of 71 degrees (sounds dreamy, doesn't it?) is one of many reasons why Irvine consistently ranks as one of our Best Places to Live.

Read More
Courtesy of Keith Cuddeback under a CC 4.0 license.

LIV

SCORE

663

16
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

Boulder, CO

Population: 103,919

Residents of the mile-high city of Boulder should feel sky high about appearing on the Best Places to Live list for five straight years.

Read More
Courtesy of the the City of San Luis Obispo

LIV

SCORE

662

17
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

San Luis Obispo, CA

Population: 46,337

Midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco lies San Luis Obispo, a city graced with stunning natural attractions and home to prestigious California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly).

Read More
Courtesy of Klosetraining.com

LIV

SCORE

661

18
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

Davis, CA

Population: 66,510

Davis residents take particular pride in being politically active and socially conscious; in fact, one of their recent civic causes was supporting construction of a tunnel under a street so that toads could cross without getting hit by cars.

Read More
Kevin Young

LIV

SCORE

660

19
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

Lincoln, NE

Population: 269,726

Named for Honest Abe himself, Lincoln makes an appearance each year on Livability.

Read More
Courtesy of Pat M2007 under a CC 2.0 license.

LIV

SCORE

660

20
2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live

Evanston, IL

Population: 75,603

Just north of downtown Chicago is Evanston, a city with its own thriving downtown district highlighted by three shopping areas, 90 restaurants, an 18-screen movie theater, several nightspots and 300 businesses.

Read More

Recent Top Lists

Best Places to Visit

Whether you're looking for relaxation or adventure, these awesome (and underrated) destinations will make the most of your vacation days.
Best Affordable Places to Live

Our annual list highlights the best places to live that won't break the bank.
Top 100 Best Places to Live

Our 5th annual ranking of the best places to live in America includes familiar names and deserving newcomers.
Best Places to Retire

From health care to cost of living, we crunched the data and found 10 cities that give today's seniors what they want. Fair warning: some cities on this list might surprise you.
10 Best College Towns

Introducing the best college towns of 2017
Top 100 Best Places to Live

Our fourth annual ranking of the best small to mid-sized cities in the U.S.