Naperville

Chicago Suburb, Neighborhood Land on List of 50 Best Places to Live in US

You may not know it -- but if you reside in a certain western suburb or a certain northern Chicago neighborhood, you're living in one of the top places to put down roots, a new list says.

According to a recently released report from Money.com, 50 places in the country have been named the Best Places to Live in the U.S., based on methodology that analyzed economic opportunities, quality of life, diversity and more.

10 of the locations on the list are in the Midwest, and two of those are in the Chicago area.

Coming in at No. 1 is Atlanta Georgia, which Money.com calls a "cultural behemoth" made up of professional sports teams, a world-class botanical garden, one of the largest visual art museums in the country and more.

And while the Chicago-area cities didn't nab the top spot, one did come in at No. 5: Rogers Park.

"Few places are as welcoming to different religions, creeds or ethnicities as Rogers Park, an underdog neighborhood located in the northeast corner of Chicago," the report says. "Residents often rave about the neighborhood’s multiculturalism and cite that as the foundation of what makes Rogers Park such a unique place."

Rounding out the top ten are Tempe, Arizona at No. 2; Kirkland, Washington at No. 3; Raleigh, North Carolina at No. 4; Columbia, Maryland at No. 5; Somerville, Massachusetts at No. 7; Ann Arbor, Michigan at No. 8; Tampa, Florida at No. 9 and Jersey City, New Jersey at No. 10.

The next midwestern city that ranks on the list comes in at No. 16: Naperville.

This is just the latest honor the city, about 33 miles west of Chicago, has earned, the report says. "Naperville, IL has been named the best place to be a kid by the U.S. Census Bureau, the best place to raise a family by the education site Niche and one of AARP’s top ten towns for seniors," the report reads.

The report goes on to say that Naperville doubles down on families, stating that the suburb "offers some of the state’s best public schools, according to the Illinois State Report Card."

Other midwestern cities that ranked on the list include Carmel, Indiana at No. 19; Chanhassen, Minnesota at No. 27; Overland Park, Kansas at No. 29; Kirkwood, Missouri at No. 36; Madison, Wisconsin at No. 40; Coralville, Iowa at No. 48 and Jeffersonville, Indiana at No. 49.

See the full ranking here.

Contact Us