U.S. News’ Quality of Life Index has been updated for 2024 and concluded that the humble city of Ann Arbor, Michigan ranked as the number one overall place to live in the United States for quality of life.
The study ranks the top 25 U.S. cities offering the best quality of life, considering multiple factors including crime rates, quality of education, job market, property value, and air quality, to name a few. Each factor measured in the Index was weighted and given numeric values that would ultimately total up to a potential 100% score in terms of having the best possible quality of life!
The best quality of life in the country is in Ann Arbor, Michigan
According to the Quality of Life Index, Ann Arbor’s ‘Quality of Life’ score was calculated to be 7.9 out of 10 to be 79%, the highest score reached by any city in the country! There were several factors that all contributed to Ann Arbor’s high score but one of the most critical was its close proximity to a “reenergized” Detroit, citing that our recent efforts to revitalize the city have become a major factor for the quality of life both in the Metro Detroit area and beyond.
What makes Ann Arbor so special?
According to the study, Ann Arbor is a beautiful city that perfects the qualities of a big city in terms of fun and a small city in terms of charm. In addition to famously being the home of the University of Michigan, which bloats the city’s population during the school year, the local city has its own unique culture that thrives particularly over the summer after most students head out, marking the start of what the locals call “festival season”.
Aside from the local culture and a consistently long list of things to do around Ann Arbor, the city also gets to experience all four distinct seasons throughout the year, something that is unfortunately not a reality in many cities across the country these days. This makes for a noticeable shift in the city throughout the year as the months go by, you can feel the city change to reflect each season in a way that is engaging and fun but also charming and sincere! From fresh flowers in the Spring to warm cider in the fall, Ann Arbor takes its seasons seriously and in doing so, makes the quality of life for those living there go up! And while there’s no doubt that Michigan Winters can be tough, enduring those winters ensures Ann Arbor’s locals aren’t taking their sunny summer days for granted.