Five Illinois cities have been named among the top 100 places to live in the U.S. — and several nearby Midwest locations also made the cut.
Five Illinois cities have been named among the top 100 places to live in the U.S. -- and several nearby Midwest locations also made the cut.
According to city ranking site Livability, Naperville, Evanston, Bloomington, Peoria and Champaign all were named among the best places to live in the country.
The ranking, which was based on "nearly 100 data points," included measures of a location's economy, housing, cost of living, amenities, transportation, safety, education, health and more.
It only included "small to mid-size cities with populations between 75,000 and 500,000," however. The cities also had to have a median home value of $500,000 or less, a factor in determining an area's affordability, according to the list.
"We also analyze average rent and home prices relative to income in each city, as well as other factors that influence the cost of living," the group stated.
Other Midwest locations to make the cut included Carmel, Indiana; Fishers, Indiana; Troy, Michigan; O'Fallon, Missouri; Bloomington, Minnesota; Rochester, Minnesota; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Madison, Wisconsin; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Appleton, Wisconsin; Iowa City, Iowa; Duluth, Minnesota; Bloomington, Indiana; and St. Paul, Minnesota.
See the full ranking here.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
