Local News

Colorado Springs And Boulder Land In The Top 5 Of Best Places To Live In America By U.S. News & World Report

/ CBS Colorado

(CBS4) - Two Colorado cities are in the Top 5 this year in U.S. News & World Report's rankings of best places to live in the United States.

The 2022 rankings identified places in America that have the best "combination of jobs, desirability, cost of living, quality of life." And it apparently helps to be tucked up next to beautiful Rocky Mountains. In the case of Colorado Springs, the No. 2 city on the list, nearby 14er Pikes Peak "is the backdrop."

Pikes Peak rises over the Air Force Academy in this view from east of Monument, Colorado. (Photo By Steve Nehf / The Denver Post)

For Boulder -- No. 4 -- the U.S. News writers described the city as "a looker" whose backdrop is "the snow-capped Indian Peaks."

Andrea Marquez takes a selfie with her friend Orlando Maestas, right, of the spectacular scenery after getting off of the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway train that took them to summit of Pikes Peak on May 16, 2021 in Manitou Springs. Today marked the first day since October 2017 that the almost 130 year old train is making its again way to the summit of Pike Peak. The railway will be opened for four days from May 20th-23rd and again on May 27th when it reopens to the public seven days a week. The train will have five departures a day. The ride takes just over three hours to complete the 8.9 mile ascent and 8.9 mile decent of Pikes Peak. It is the world's highest Cog railway train going up 7,600 feet of vertical gain to the 14,115 foot summit. The train ride takes riders through Pikes Peak's famous pink granite in the Pike National Forest. The railway will celebrate its 130th anniversary at the end of June. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Colorado Springs is praised for having a small town feel despite being one of the biggest cities in the state. It's the kind of place where "people regularly stop to say hello to someone they know at their neighborhood brewery or grocery store." Its downtown is described as being easy to navigate through. It also has a high ranking for its quality of life and job market.

Perhaps to the chagrin of some folks in Colorado Springs, Huntsville, Alabama, nabbed the No. 1 spot in the rankings. That city was recently chosen as the new headquarters of United States Space Command, which has always been located in Colorado Springs and city leaders are fighting the move.

Snow covered Flatiros in Boulder, Colorado on Thursday, February 24, 2022. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Boulder gets high marks for incredible fitness and wellness options and a special nod is given to the rock climbing scene there. In fact, the publication chose to feature the city's popular Flatirons in its tweet announcing the new rankings.

No other Colorado cities made it into the Top 50, although Fort Collins and Denver were ranked 54th and 55th, respectively.

© 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.