Gainesville has been named one of the 2019 Top 100 Best Places to Live by Livability.com, outpacing more than 1,000 cities (with populations between 20,000 and 1,000,000) in this data-driven ranking.
The 2019 rankings were guided by an exclusive study conducted by Livability.com in partnership with Ipsos. More than 1,000 millennials across the country were surveyed to determine what matters most to them when making relocation decisions. The top responses — affordability and job opportunities — were factored into this year’s ranking criteria, including, for the first time ever, a cap on housing costs. No city on Livability’s 2019 Top 100 Best Places to Live has a median home value exceeding $250,000.
“The cities on this year’s list represent the best of the best when it comes to affordability and opportunity,” says Livability.com Editor-in-Chief Winona Dimeo-Ediger. “These 100 cities are not just fantastic places to live in terms of their amenities, education, health care and infrastructure, they are places where young people can build amazing careers and communities.”
Here’s how the list gives a shout-out to our corner of the globe.
Fire up the ye ol’ Google and type “college town” in the search bar and you’ll likely find Gainesville in all of its Gator-lovin’ glory. And it has all of the classic hallmarks of one, too: university flags waving from front porches, bike-riding students zipping to class from off-campus housing and a mighty roster of gloriously dive-y bars.
But the birthplace of Tom Petty, Tim Tebow and, yes, Gatorade is also a magnet for young families looking to get in on the top-notch education — which helped Gainesville clinch a spot on our Top 100 Best Places to Live list this year — as well as a wealth of job opportunities offered by the University of Florida.
The full list of the 2019 Top 100 Best Places to Live is featured on Livability.com, along with each city’s LivScore and information about the qualities and amenities that helped them make the list.
Livability.com highlights America’s best small to mid-sized cities. Through nationally recognized rankings, top 10 lists, daily articles and social media content, Livability helps readers discover the best places to live, work and visit. Livability.com is a division of Journal Communications, Inc.
