The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness
Local

Arlington is the best place to live in America, a report finds. Two other D.C. suburbs aren’t far behind.

By
June 16, 2016 at 11:06 a.m. EDT
The Ballston neighborhood in Arlington has a mix of high-rise apartments, condos, townhouses and single-family homes. (Amanda Voisard for The Washington Post)

It seems that Arlington County has a lot going for it. A solid public-school system, a healthy population, ample nightlife venues and accessible public transit. All of this makes the Northern Virginia county the best place to live in America, according to a new report.

The ranking from Niche, a website that says it helps people find which neighborhoods and cities are the best fit, looked at 227 cities, counties and jurisdictions, then ranked them based on the area’s amenities, crime rates, school options and more.

Arlington got an A+ for its schools, family life, nightlife, and health and fitness, which looks at obesity rates and access to health resources.

The county received a B+ in the jobs category, which accounted for factors such as the unemployment rate and the ratio of the median monthly housing cost for homeowners to the median monthly household income.

Two other areas in the D.C. region weren’t far behind: Columbia, Md., finished third and Alexandria ranked No. 13. Alexandria received high marks in nearly all of the categories but earned a D+ in the cost-of-living category.

The 15 best places to live, according to Niche:

  1. Arlington, Va.
  2. Cambridge, Mass.
  3. Columbia, Md.
  4. Ann Arbor, Mich.
  5. Plano, Texas
  6. Overland Park, Kan.
  7. Boulder, Colo.
  8. Berkeley, Calif.
  9. Rochester, Minn.
  10. Bellevue, Wash.
  11. Irvine, Calif.
  12. Sunnyvale, Calif.
  13. Alexandria, Va.
  14. San Francisco, Calif.
  15. Round Rock, Texas

Read the full rankings here to see how Niche determined its list.