The best U.S. city for quality of life is Ann Arbor, Mich.
Nothing new here as A2 has been on these type of lists for years now. But, one thing they didn't mention that really makes A2 the best place is the FRICKIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP the football team just won going 15-0 making A2's air smell that much better, the food taste that much better, and the water quench one's thirst that much more than before.
The only draw back is that Jim Harbaugh no longer walks the street.
Quality of life score: 7.9
Ann Arbor is the best U.S. city for quality of life. More than 90% of the city’s residents live less than a 10-minute from a public park, according to the U.S. News and World report.
A 2023 SmartAsset study report says Ann Arbor saw its Gen Z population — those ages 18 to 24 — grow the fastest in 2022. The city had 26.4% new Gen Zers and a total population of 35.9%.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/25/us-news-report-us-cities-best-quality-of-life.html
February 26th, 2024 at 5:46 PM ^
Trenton? Hartford? Kind of surprised by those two.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:15 PM ^
The other city entrants were the capitol of Siberia and a small town called Chernobyl….
February 26th, 2024 at 5:51 PM ^
It's because of the weather.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:04 PM ^
Average high temp this February has been 58 degrees - not really but not totally kidding either.
February 26th, 2024 at 7:31 PM ^
70 here tomorrow. 39 on Thursday.
February 26th, 2024 at 5:53 PM ^
AA is a truly special place - happy for those of you who call it home!
The headline is something:
These are the 10 U.S. cities with the best quality of life—none are in Florida
Can anyone guess the source based on that headline?
February 26th, 2024 at 6:16 PM ^
If you want to live in the best parts of Florida, which is on the coast, it's not cheap. Summers are barbarically hot and humid. Inland Florida has a lot of crappy, ugly areas. I guess it depends on what kind of life you want and what age you are. I could see retiring somewhere on the Gulf Coast if you have some dough.
February 26th, 2024 at 5:57 PM ^
Richard Florida made an interesting point a while back about how Ann Arbor needs to grow substantially for the state’s sake.
There certainly are pros and cons to that; to some, A2’s size is part of its charm. But when you look at its growth rate versus Austin’s, you wonder if the state is missing out.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:02 PM ^
I know these lists are subjective, so when people complain, like I'm about to complain, it does feel like an "old man yelling at clouds."
Boulder at #2 is dubious. I live as close to Boulder County as a person can live without actually living in Boulder County. It's difficult to argue that Boulder's natural setting is anything other than world-class. The Flatirons are iconic. There are parks and open spaces galore. Three hundred days of sun is real. But underneath the surface, Boulder has MANY problems.
Real estate is grossly expensive and often aging. The middle class has essentially disappeared from the City of Boulder. Property taxes are increasingly untenable. Good restaurants/bars struggle to find their initial footing and then longevity. Homelessness, open drug use, mental illness are commonplace. Boulder Creek, which runs through the heart of Boulder, is no longer idyllic.
And the worst part of all is the Boulder population itself. Boulder generally does not welcome dissenting voices. Only one type of life philosophy is welcome in local Boulder government. This homogeneous approach to all issues is causing a worsening rot. Political complacency and corruption is taking over. This is not intended as a partisan statement -- any one party town, regardless of which party is dominating, will inevitably cause unchecked corruption and eventual stagnation or decline.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:17 PM ^
You're not wrong (I too used to live next door to Boulder County).
But Boulder is a symptom, not a cause. The cause is that people are increasingly self-electing to live with/near people that are like them, as opposed to with/near people that are more different (all of culturally, economically and politically).
February 26th, 2024 at 6:31 PM ^
Zoning laws are a major source of the problem.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:42 PM ^
Even a mild preference to live next to someone like you can lead to segregation. It's even worse in a society as fractionalized as ours.
February 26th, 2024 at 7:23 PM ^
That's pretty fascinating from a mathematical perspective. Thanks for sharing!
February 27th, 2024 at 7:37 AM ^
If this was a Rorschach test I would've, uh, failed and felt immensely shamed
February 26th, 2024 at 6:18 PM ^
We visited Boulder when our kids were looking at schools and I think I'm the only person who really didn't love it.
February 26th, 2024 at 7:27 PM ^
I’ve been there a few times. Not my jam at all
February 27th, 2024 at 9:37 AM ^
Fort Collins > Boulder
February 26th, 2024 at 6:03 PM ^
I'm quite certain this is very scientific. /s
Heading to Boulder in a couple weeks to (presumably) finalize my youngest son's college choice. As noted in the article they have "...155 miles of hiking trailers." Either I missed the double wides walking around the foothills wearing boots last time I visited or someone in CNBC's furniture assembly instructions dept. didn't double check their copy before clicking Publish.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:06 PM ^
The editor was too focused on a personal vendetta against one state.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:24 PM ^
For someone named Indy Pete, you sure care a lot about Florida.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:27 PM ^
😂 I call ‘em how I see ‘em - and this one is too obvious not to point out.
February 26th, 2024 at 8:20 PM ^
Naples, Florida is 18th on the list. You’re right, calling out Florida for not being in the top 10 is just dumb.
I lived in Miami as a small child. I don’t remember anything about it except for the lizard that snuck into our house and decided to lounge on the sofa.
The heat and humidity were unbearable for my dad so we moved back to Michigan.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:45 PM ^
I think there's a widespread perception that Florida has everything a person could want in a place to live, which is why a lot of people retire there, and the writer was simply pointing out that it surprisingly didn't make the list. I didn't see any mention of reasons why it didn't make the list, just that it didn't.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:51 PM ^
I truly respect and admire your ability to give the benefit of the doubt on this Wendy. Your logic is reasonable. There are a lot of highly desirable states not found in the list, but only one state is singled out. I respectfully see this one differently - even though I do hope you are right.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:53 PM ^
My parents live in Central Florida. It has gotten extremely crowded in the past 10 years. Traffic is hellacious.
February 26th, 2024 at 7:21 PM ^
It also has a snake problem. No thanks.
February 26th, 2024 at 7:27 PM ^
Bug problem too...and they all bite or sting. As an ex-resident of that state I got so sick of the weird ass bugs there
February 26th, 2024 at 7:37 PM ^
NO POLITICS
February 27th, 2024 at 6:06 AM ^
If you don't like snakes, particularly venomous snakes, a good portion of the US is off the map. .
February 26th, 2024 at 6:07 PM ^
I had hoped that Jim Harbaugh would see the benefit of raising his kids in Ann Arbor versus the cesspool that is Los Angeles.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:32 PM ^
This makes me think about the story Lloyd would tell about speaking with an assistant coach at USC or UCLA that he was trying to hire away. "Hi, [?], Lloyd Carr here. It's 6:30 and I'm at home sitting down to dinner, I left football practice at 6:20. I'd like for you to consider joining my staff next season."
February 26th, 2024 at 6:33 PM ^
Understand that if you have enough coin, and Jim does, LA can be a great place to live. Foothills or beach can be nice, depending on personal preference and life style. I lived in Redondo Beach for years and understand pros/cons. Today, leaving my office at Main and Huron here in Ann Arbor, I had the (dis)pleasure of seeing some dude openly pissing on a dumpster. Yay. That said, it's not an accident that I live in Ann Arbor - I like it here and am happy my kids grew up here.
Today was another day with sun in the 50's. In February. I fully expect a big snow storm in March but man, February has been incredible by Michigan standards (unless you like to ski).
February 26th, 2024 at 7:22 PM ^
I noticed my tulips are growing already.
February 26th, 2024 at 7:52 PM ^
If you don’t like people conducting open air pissing/shitting, then coastal California is not for you.
February 26th, 2024 at 8:11 PM ^
You’re thinking of San Francisco (and possibly Venice Beach).
February 26th, 2024 at 9:39 PM ^
Downtown LA. Saw first hand every morning walking from my hotel to a conference
February 27th, 2024 at 5:22 AM ^
Downtown <> coastal
February 26th, 2024 at 8:44 PM ^
I just read a very long thread on Instagram from a GI doc who said that going into a retail store, especially a book store, has a strange laxative effect on people, and then this person shared her experience. Ohio, amirite? 
February 27th, 2024 at 11:25 AM ^
that should disabuse anyone of the notion that toledo is.... cooler than columbus.
February 26th, 2024 at 8:25 PM ^
El Segundo, where the Chargers practice facility is, feels like Mayberry. But I wouldn’t expect the Harbaugh’s to settle there. It’s surrounded by the airport, an oil refinery, the aerospace industry and the ocean. Much more likely they end up in Manhattan Beach.
February 26th, 2024 at 8:26 PM ^
Yeah you never see countless homeless ( and drugged out) people pissing on the streets of LA, SF (and Seattle now) .
February 26th, 2024 at 6:14 PM ^
Not during BPONE.
February 26th, 2024 at 6:18 PM ^
Cool, but they must not know about the Gelman dioxane plume...
February 26th, 2024 at 6:23 PM ^
It's been a while since I lived that way, so I'm surprised (and heartened) to see Trenton on this list
February 26th, 2024 at 6:25 PM ^
So you're literally saying Nobody's got it better than us?
This joke would be a lot more convincing if I didn't have "Boston" in my handle.
February 26th, 2024 at 7:27 PM ^
la casa grande...
February 26th, 2024 at 8:09 PM ^
OG photo
February 27th, 2024 at 11:12 AM ^
Ish. This woulda been 1998-99 when that God-awful halo was there.
February 26th, 2024 at 7:34 PM ^
I've lived in the Ann Arbor area since 1991. If you read this article and are thinking about moving here, be aware the city government has apparently decided to rid the downtown area of cars. This seems illogical on the surface. After all, people have to get into the city somehow, and there's no network of trains coming in here either. And there are many local businesses that have invested tons of money to attract out of town visitors to spend money.
So, how has the city responded to this?
1) Decreased the number of downtown parking spaces continually over the last 10 years.
2) Decreased the traffic capacity on many key roads in or serving the downtown by "dieting them down" to fewer lanes. One of them is Main St. between Stadium and the downtown where a lot of traffic goes thru at rush hour.
3) Constricted traffic all over town with pedestrian guards at many intersections making it harder to maneuver cars or large vehicles around corners.
4) Ramped up enforcement of parking violations and removed parking meters in some areas
In my opinion, the city has an agenda of pushing mass transit, bike travel, and pedestrian travel with the ulterior motive of excluding what they consider carbon unfriendly vehicles like cars and trucks - at the exclusion of the benefits they bring to the city. I'm not at all against environmentally friendly initiatives. But Ann Arbor has become way too extreme to the point where many people like me who live outside the downtown don't want to deal with the hassles and difficulties of going into town with our cars.
February 26th, 2024 at 9:11 PM ^
Alternative take:
I am thrilled to see denser mixed zoning downtown area style development being prioritized by the city. Ann Arbor is growing and these dense areas where car driving and parking are not emphasized become some of the most valuable enriching areas of the city. See: Kerrytown area, main street.
I see more mixed transit as a way for the city to scale. It’s a no brainer, we are simply trying to replicate a pattern thats worked to improve many other cities. My $0.02.