Sarasota named one of Top 10 best places to live in the U.S., No. 1 in Florida
Sarasota once again made a national publication's list of the best places to live in America, moving up in the rankings this year.
U.S. News & World Report has published its 2023-2024 Best Places to Live list, ranking the country's 150 most populous metropolitan areas based on value, desirability, job market and quality of life, with Sarasota coming in at No. 5. It rose four spaces this year, after landing at No. 9 in 2022 and 2021.
Sarasota was also the highest-rated area in Florida, with Naples right behind at No. 6 after falling off the Top 10 last year. Green Bay, Wisconsin, took the top spot this year, with Huntsville, Alabama; Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte in North Carolina; Colorado Springs and Boulder in Colorado; Portland, Maine; and Fayetteville, Arkansas rounding out the list.
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“This year’s rankings are a reflection of the current economic, social and natural factors that impact a place’s livability for its residents,” said U.S. News real estate editor Devon Thorsby in a statement. “People are considering more than housing when they look at an area’s affordability — they want to know how much goods cost in that area. The ever-present risk for severe weather and a community’s ability to recover — coupled with the area's opportunities for social activities — are also taken into account when evaluating a best place to live.”
U.S. News expanded its data points this year. The Desirability Index, in addition to a survey determining whether people want to live in a given metro area, now also includes net migration, weather temperateness (the number of days annually that the temperature falls between 33 and 89 degrees Fahrenheit) and establishment-to-population ratio (the number of restaurants, bars and activities per 1,000 residents.) The Value Index, which previously focused solely on housing affordability, now factors in price parity, a U.S. census data point on the general cost of goods within an area.
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It's not the only time Sarasota has received national recognition in recent years. Time magazine named it one of the World's 100 Greatest Places in 2021, citing Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College, The Bay, Lido Beach Pavilion and The Resort at Longboat Key Club in its blurb on the city. Siesta Beach has also long drawn national attention to Sarasota, including being named the best beach in the U.S. twice by Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman, and the country's second best by Tripadvisor earlier this year.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota ranked No. 5 best place to live by U.S. News & World Report
