Bad news, Bears fans; Green Bay named top place to live in U.S.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- You might think Chicago is the best city in which to live, but a new study says America's best town is really about a 3 ½-hour drive to the north.
Yes, as much as Bears fans might hate this, U.S. News and World Report says Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the best place to live in the U.S.
Green Bay topped the list for a number of reasons, which include more than just Lambeau Field. Good weather isn't one of them.
"You have your arts, you have your outdoors, the river here. I live on the Fox River, and it's just awesome. It kind of has that small town feel, but there's enough big city offerings to satisfy me," Green Bay resident Mike Vandermause said.
Of course, the Packers are a big part of the city's identity. Residents say the team really unites the people there, and is a year-round attraction.
Green Bay jumped two spots to become the best city to live in for 2023, according to the publication's annual ranking. With a population of roughly 107,000, Green Bay gets especially high marks for the bang people get for their buck and overall quality of life — the two most heavily weighted criteria in determining the rankings.
"In the weather category it does not perform well — it has harsh winters. But it is considered very affordable ... and its quality of life performs well," U.S. News real estate editor Devon Thorsby told CBS MoneyWatch.
The median cost of a home in Green Bay is $247,092, which might help thaw any discomfort residents feel about the city's tough winters. Temperatures in Green Bay, Wisconsin's third-largest city after Madison and Milwaukee, average 24 degrees in January, with more than a foot of snow in that month alone.
With high inflation continuing to strain household budgets, how far Americans' dollars will stretch in a given locale is increasingly important.
"The value component is one of those things people are starting to put more emphasis on when considering moving to a new part of the country," Thorsby said.
In assessing the money value cities offer, U.S. News examined factors such as housing affordability and "price parity," which reflects an area's general cost of goods.
"For the most part, Green Bay has been able to maintain a very low cost of living," she said. "Probably the fact that the weather may deter some people keeps it from being a super fast-growing metro area."
Hunstville, Alabama, ranks No. 2 on U.S. News' best places list, which ranked the nation's top 150 most populous metro areas based on their scores across the following categories: quality of life (accounting for 36% of the score), value (23%), desirability (22%), job market (19%). Factored in the quality-of-life index is data including high school students' college readiness, quality of education, proximity to quality health care, crime rates and air quality.
To gauge a city's overall desirability score, editors administered a survey asking people where they'd prefer to live, given the choice. Weather and a number of attributes such as museums, parks, restaurants and bars relative to a metro area's total population also helped determine cities' scores.
Florida cities remains popular, with both Sarasota and Naples ranking in the top 10. At No. 5 on U.S. News' list, Sarasota scores well for its vibrant arts scene, beaches, and eating and drinking establishments. With a population of just over 800,000, its median home price is $387,630.
At No. 98, New York City is not as lowly ranked as it has been in previous years. Not surprisingly, the Big Apple gets dinged in the value category.
"The biggest struggle for New York is its affordability, because it's one of those metro areas that has some of the richest people in the world but also the poorest," Thorsby said. "That juxtaposition makes things like housing and the cost of goods and service so much higher.
"But desirability and job market always perform very high," she added. "It's been lower ranked in past — 98 is pretty good."
Here is the list of the top 10 places to live in the U.S. (see the full list):
1. Green Bay, WI
2. Huntsville, AL
3. Raleigh & Durham, NC
4. Boulder, CO
5. Sarasota, FL
6. Naples, FL
7. Portland, ME
8. Charlotte, NC
9. Colorado Springs, CO
10. Fayetteville, AR
