Big cities aren’t really my thing. I prefer to spend my time away from the crowds of people, confusing one-way streets and heavy traffic. Growing up just 25 miles outside San Francisco I never really understood its appeal.
Recently, U.S. News & World Report released a list of the 100 best cities grouped by size: medium (500,000 to 1 million), large (1 million to 2.5 million) and mega (greater than 2.5 million).
The top 10 overall list was dominated by mega-cities and large cities, but I was surprised to see two medium-sized cities grace the overall top 10, and four more round out the top 20.
The top 10 medium-sized cities seem more like my type of city and I was happy to find the city where I’ll be living soon — Boise, Idaho — was number two on the medium-sized city list and number six overall.
The top 10 medium-sized cities are:
- Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Boise, Idaho
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Sarasota, Fla.
- Omaha, Neb.
- Charleston, S.C.
- Madison, Wis.
- Harrisburg, Pa.
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Portland, Maine
The cities were ranked based on five factors: the job market, cost of living versus average annual salary, quality of life, desirability and net migration.
The top 10 cities overall are:
- Denver
- Austin
- Fayetteville, Ark.
- Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
- Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Boise, Idaho
- Seattle
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- San Jose
Despite my distaste for big cities, I may have to give some of these a second look.
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Zoë Wolff is a reporter for Institutional Real Estate, Inc.
