2021 Best Places to Live in America

Chesterbrook

• Suburb of Philadelphia, PA
• Rating 4.04 out of 5  52 reviews

Current Resident: Quiet neighborhoods, friendly people, good school district, clean and spacious local park, overall excellent place to live!
Read 52 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 4,800 Population

City Center

• Neighborhood in Santa Monica, CA
• Rating 3.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Niche User: I love living in this area, a lot of things to do and very accessible to many things.
Read 2 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 4,659 Population

Ocean Park

• Neighborhood in Santa Monica, CA
• Rating 4.08 out of 5  12 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived in Ocean Park most of my life. Over my 70 years here I have seen Ocean Park evolve from an inexpensive, iffy sleepy neighborhood of artists, beatnicks, peacenicks, elderly expats from Europe, fishermen, and younger blue collar workers (who worked one of the 3 shifts at the then local Douglas Aircraft Company) to become a pricey, yet still quiet, still somewhat sleepy, very safe, age-diverse and LGBTQ+ friendly neighborhood now largely populated by highly educated creative people who work in tech, film, and business. There is still a strong sense of neighborhood in Ocean Park. There is a 'live and let live' attitude here and respect and appreciation for diversity and privacy. Residents here tend to be active, and seen out riding their bike, walking, surfing, skateboard riding, jogging or enjoying the great neighborhood parks...and of course the beach at the bottom of the hills of Ocean Park. We also have a great microclimate that is cooler here on hot days elsewhere.
Read 12 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 13,379 Population

Penn Wynne

• Suburb of Philadelphia, PA
• Rating 4.21 out of 5  14 reviews

Current Resident: I love living in Penn Wynne, Pennsylvania. I have lived here for the past 15 years and spent elementary, middle, and am currently finishing up high school living in this neighborhood. Many of my friends live here, and I have met many kind people from all over Penn Wynne. Penn Wynne has a small town feeling with all of the benefits of living minutes away from Philadelphia. I love the parks and open spaces that Penn Wynne has to offer. I am not sure where I will live when I am older, but Penn Wynne will always have a special place in my heart.
Read 14 Reviews

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• 5,932 Population

Cottonwood Creek South

• Neighborhood in Richardson, TX

• grade A+

• grade A

• 1,108 Population

Okemos

• Suburb of Lansing, MI
• Rating 3.76 out of 5  82 reviews

Current Resident: Ideal family community. Strong public schools. The high school has full range of AP classes, kids score 4-5's. Excellent school music and art programs. Very safe. Kids make friendships across social classes. Religiously diverse metro area with Jewish synagogues, an Islamic mosque, a Hindu and Jain temple, churches with services in Chinese, Korean, and Spanish, African American churches, etc. Restaurants and grocery stores from many cultures. Many cultural opportunities at MSU. Parks, trails, lakes, farmer's market.
Read 82 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 24,141 Population

Carmel

• Town in Indiana
• Rating 4.31 out of 5  276 reviews

Current Resident: We moved to Carmel from the northeast, and at the time I was wary of moving to Indiana - a state I knew nothing about other than farms. Boy, was I wrong. Carmel is beautiful- sophisticated, charming, kind, innovative and stocked with families all working to create a beautiful life for their kids and themselves. Infrastructure is top notch and well-planned, the homes and neighborhoods are gorgeous and affordable, the area is filled with good, high-paying jobs, the public school facilities are amazing, and quality of teaching and programs offered - both public and community programs- are outstanding. Like another poster said, come visit- you will be amazed! I’ve met so many transplants, and some who moved just after seeing Carmel during a visit with friends. I can’t imagine another city offering the quality of life we have in Carmel, we are so grateful to live here. This city is the poster child of forward-thinking leadership as well as listening to what it’s residents want.
Read 276 Reviews

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• 97,464 Population

Bluemont

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA
• Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Former Resident: I lived in Bluemont between 1985 and 2007. I walked to Ballston Metro station and rode in to DC for work. I liked being nearby to parks, a swim club and local stores. When we moved in, we had neighbors who worked as restaurant cook, laundry machine repair, and print shop. But within 10 years after moving in, we could have never afforded to buy there, and the population changed toward lawyers and techies.
Read 1 Review

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• grade A+

• 8,439 Population

Richmond Heights

• Suburb of St. Louis, MO
• Rating 4.29 out of 5  21 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived here for 12 years. People are active and walking, riding, spending time outside. Prior to the pandemic we would have block parties and area food trucks would be in the neighborhood almost monthly. Many have returned multiple times. Young families are staying and supporting the school district. Older residents without children or children out of school have shown support for bonds and other financial measures. There are new homes being built in a dwindling number of vacant lots or derelict homes.
Read 21 Reviews

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• 8,500 Population

Hyde Park - Spanishtown Creek

• Neighborhood in Tampa, FL
• Rating 3 out of 5  2 reviews

Nearby Resident: This is NOT called Spanish town. It's an excellent area and a very popular place to live and spend time in. The schools they list for this area are NOT correct.
Great restaurants, place to hang out! Great area to live. University of Tampa nearby and close to Downtown.
Read 2 Reviews

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• grade A

• 3,637 Population

Radnor/Fort Myer Heights

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA
• Rating 4 out of 5  2 reviews

Former Resident: After living in midtown Manhattan for ten years, we lived in the Belvedere Condominium for five years on Oak Street. If you are making $175K + this is a decent place to live, but not a lot to do at night, but you can Uber to Georgetown or Old Town. There are only a few good restaurants within walking distance but being near the Metro, Safeway, and Target is great. There was a mugging on Oak and I saw a car vandalized - both of which happen in NYC, so rather surprised that the safety rating is so high. The Belvedere is not anything like a Manhattan doorman building (staff is arrogant & rude) but it covered all the amenities we needed: David’s small store/dry cleaners in the building, parking, pool/gym. If you want to get home quickly after work/near DCA this is your location. Getting a job here is extremely difficult for professional women over 45, so it was time for us to go when I hit my expiration date. Neighbors are nice, but expect artificially inflated egos for no reason at all.
Read 2 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 13,944 Population

Broadmoor-Broadway

• Neighborhood in Tucson, AZ

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 3,127 Population

Harbour Island

• Neighborhood in Tampa, FL
• Rating 4 out of 5  4 reviews

Current Resident: It’s been a great place to raise a family. Neighborhoods are upbeat, safe and friendly...easy to walk to the aquarium, sparkman’s wharf, downtown, etc. the island throws a Halloween and holiday party each year... It’s like having a suburban house but located in Central Park.
Read 4 Reviews

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• grade A

• 4,025 Population

Los Alamos

• Town in New Mexico
• Rating 3.65 out of 5  20 reviews

Current Resident: Los Alamos is a great town for outdoor enthusiasts. Miles and miles of trails, great camping sites all over, rock climbing, skiing, rafting...The longest commute to work is 15 minutes. The town is very safe, and the schools are good. Schools used to be 10/10, but in the past few years, they went down to 7/10. My oldest child is much older than my youngest, and helping at schools with both of them, I can see the difference :(

The downside of Los Alamos, is that many local residents have a mentality of living here temporary, and do not invest much in local businesses, they shop "off the hill". For the town with a median household income twice the national average, Los Alamos invests very little in itself. Poor entertainment and shopping as a result.

The housing also looks a little depressing. The majority of the houses were built in the early era of Los Alamos, and only a few are remodeled. These old houses create a certain look, which may take some time to get used to.
Read 20 Reviews

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• 12,666 Population

Sammamish Valley

• Neighborhood in Redmond, WA

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 13,538 Population

Holly Hills

• Suburb of Denver, CO
• Rating 4 out of 5  7 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived in this neighborhood for 30 years and I love the proximity of it to all areas of Metro Denver. Where I live is close to the light rail, Highline Canal, and several shopping areas, it's like a mini city in and of itself. The only major dislike I have for the area and the state, in general, is that housing has become so expensive, it is difficult to live in the vicinity of Denver without having to work two jobs or have a six-figure income. Many people are getting priced out of their homes and apartments due to the influx of people moving in and a housing shortage. Also, traffic has become a nightmare!
Read 7 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 2,835 Population

Mid-City

• Neighborhood in Santa Monica, CA
• Rating 3.93 out of 5  15 reviews

Niche User: Santa Monica is an amazing city. Theres a lot of fun things to do there. You can go to the beach, visit the pier, drive up and down pch. The food is amazing and the weather is outstanding.
Read 15 Reviews

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• 23,540 Population

Ventura

• Neighborhood in Palo Alto, CA
• Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Works Here: Safety, the neighbor and up and coming with affordable housing. Great opportunity to watch
growth happen. Award winning schools.
Read 1 Review

• grade A+

• grade A+

• 4,715 Population

University South

• Neighborhood in Palo Alto, CA
• Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Niche User: Palo Alto is a healthy and beautiful city to reside in. The heart of Stanford University, there are ample resources to be creative and change the world by way of entrepreneurship, technology, research and being in the presence of like minded individuals. I have never seen skies this blue or grass so green. Palo Alto offers safe clean neighborhoods with a very diverse population. I would definitely live here again if the cost of living were more affordable.
Read 2 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 8,890 Population

Wilshire/Montana

• Neighborhood in Santa Monica, CA
• Rating 4.24 out of 5  17 reviews

Parent: Fortunate to live here because of amazing city services (fantastic libraries, city beach club, best community college, superb public schools, thoughtful about transportation with light rail arriving soon), perfect climate, "Los Angeles at the beach", thoughtful about the environment--with the exception of over-building, and too many tourists!
Read 17 Reviews

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• 20,100 Population

Clayton

• Suburb of St. Louis, MO
• Rating 4.71 out of 5  24 reviews

Nearby Resident: Beautiful suburb of St. Louis! Has a business district with shopping and restaurants, as well as very nice residential areas. Good place to live for students, young professionals, or families.
Read 24 Reviews

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• 16,588 Population

Ardmore

• Suburb of Philadelphia, PA
• Rating 4.25 out of 5  28 reviews

Nearby Resident: So I actually live in Wynnewood which is a stone's throw away from Ardmore. I love love love living in this area. The walkability of the area is awesome and the small shops are great (pre-Covid). The schools in the area are like renowned and Philly is a 2 minute drive down the street where you have access to some of the best hospitals in the Nation. Which is really important to me, being a nurse and all. The children's hospital of Philadelphia is 15 minutes away. I mean it's an urban suburb of Philly so you get the benefit of city living without the crime, loud music, and congestion. Only downside which exists in any suburb worth its salt, is proving making the area pretty exclusive and rent astronomical. 500k+ and rent median about $1600. We lucked out and found a 1 bedroom for $1200 utilities included. People are friendly, there are kids out playing, lots of parks.
Read 28 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 12,808 Population

Houserville

• Town in Pennsylvania
• Rating 3.75 out of 5  12 reviews

Current Resident: Very clean, quaint, charming neighborhood of State College, PA. Voted #3 in best places to live in the United States. Great public schools, very close to Penn State University. Cata bus allows for easy commute to downtown State College.
Read 12 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 1,972 Population

Brookline

• Suburb of Boston, MA
• Rating 4.07 out of 5  130 reviews

Current Resident: Brookline's public transportation is excellent, and restaurants and businesses are everywhere in the historic districts, making shopping and dining an overall experience.
LIVING in Brookline is a little bit more difficult though, as all parking is reserved for shoppers and visitors, so if you plan on being a resident here, plan on renting a separate home for your vehicle (Craigslist).
You're a stones-throw from most activities though, and it may be more advantageous for those who can to avoid having a car all together. The only other downside to living in Brookline is the cost of rent. A one bedroom apartment can cost anywhere from $1,800 to $3,000 on the high end, so be prepared!
Living here has been a great experience so far, just a little strapping on the wallet.
Read 130 Reviews

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• 59,180 Population

Beverly Estates

• Neighborhood in Overland Park, KS
• Rating 3.67 out of 5  3 reviews

Niche User: The atmosphere of this area is great, and the people who live here are kind and helpful people who love the community in which they live.
Read 3 Reviews

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• grade A+

• 3,161 Population