FLORIDA – You’d think South Florida’s cultural diversity, tourist attractions, and hot culinary scene would be enough for a city in “SoFlo” to make the list of best cities in the U.S. to live in, but apparently, you have to look a little further up north.
According to the “2021 Best Cities to Live in America” survey by Niche, Gainesville, Tampa, and St. Petersburg are among the best cities in the country to live in for the year of 2021.
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The survey website took into account several key factors of each location, including the quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics, and access to amenities in an attempt to measure the overall quality of each area.
Overall, they ranked:
Gainesville, Florida: No. 38 out of 228 cities
Gainesville, which is ranked on Niche as the No. 1 place to live in Alachua County, received an overall grade of an “A” with over 900 four-star reviews. It was ranked No. 38 out of 228 best cities to live in, No. 37 of 228 cities with the best public schools, and was ranked No. 49 out of 228 cities for raising a family in America.
They gave Gainesville an “A-” score for the category of public schools, an “A-” for the category of “Good for Families,” an “A” for diversity, and another “A” for nightlife. It slacked in the areas of “Crime & Safety” where the city received a “C” and in the category of Housing, which was given a “C+.”
Niche wrote, “Living in Gainesville offers residents an urban suburban mix feel and most residents rent their homes. In Gainesville there are a lot of bars and parks. Many young professionals live in Gainesville and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Gainesville are highly rated.”
Tampa, Florida: No. 40 out of 228 cities
The city of Tampa was ranked No. 40 out of the 228 best cities to live in, with over 1,000 four-star reviews. It received an overall grade of an “A,” with an “A-” for public schools, “A-” grade for raising a family, and “As” for nightlife and diversity. It received a “C” for housing and a “C+” for crime.
According to Niche, “Living in Tampa offers residents an urban suburban mix feel and most residents rent their homes. In Tampa there are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many families and young professionals live in Tampa and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Tampa are above average.”
St. Petersburg, Florida: No. 43 out of 228 cities
St. Petersburg was ranked no. 43 out of the 228 best cities to live in, and retired folks will be pleased to discover it was also ranked no. 4 in their “Best Cities to Retire in America” category. Overall, the city received an “A” grade, with over 514 four-and-a-half star reviews. The city received an “A-” in being good for families, an “A” for nightlife, an “A” for diversity, a “B” for public schools, “B” for housing, and a “C” for crime and safety.
Niche says, “Living in St. Petersburg offers residents an urban suburban mix feel and most residents own their homes. In St. Petersburg there are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many young professionals live in St. Petersburg and residents tend to have moderate political views. The public schools in St. Petersburg are above average.”
For the full list of the 2021 Best Cities to Live in America, click here.