Best Cities To Live In America: Metro Detroit City Makes The List

GROSSE POINTE PARK, MI — It’s always nice to receive a little positive recognition.

The financial news and opinion site 24/7 Wall St. recently released its “America’s 50 Best Cities To Live” rankings for 2020, and one Metro Detroit community took home a spot on the list.

Here are the cities from our state that are included in the rankings:

Grosse Pointe Park (Highest Ranked)

• Ranking: 23
• Population: 11,207
• Five-year population change: -2.3%
• Median household income: $112,384
• Five-year average unemployment rate: 3.3%

Here’s what the report said about the community:

“Grosse Pointe Park is a small city located only about seven miles from downtown Detroit. Unlike it much larger neighbor, Grosse Pointe is a relatively affluent city with a strong job market. The typical household in Grosse Pointe Park earns $112,384 a year, nearly double the national median income. Additionally, an average of just 3.3% of the city’s labor force were unemployed in the last five years, well below the comparable 5.9% national jobless rate.

Located along Lake St. Claire, Grosse Pointe Park has two waterfront parks and across the broader county, 93.8% of residents have access to places like recreation centers and parks — a larger share than the 84.0% of Americans nationwide with similar access."

Traverse City also made the list at No. 34.

Manhattan Beach, California, ranked as the best city in the nation to live in, according to 24/7 Wall St., followed by Winnetka, Illinois, and Hanover, New Hampshire.

“It is important to note that there is no such thing as a perfect city or town, and that many of the attributes one may look for in a community are subjective and not quantifiable,” authors of the 24/7 Wall St. rankings wrote. “This list favors areas with conditions that have almost universal appeal, however.”

To identify the best U.S. cities to live in, the financial news site created an index of 25 measures across four main categories: affordability, economy, quality of life and community.

Data pertaining to these categories was then pulled from multiple sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The full methodology for the rankings is available at 24/7 Wall St.

Here are the top 10 U.S. cities to live in:

1. Manhattan Beach, California
2. Winnetka, Illinois
3. Hanover, New Hampshire
4. Highland Park, Texas
5. Piedmont, California
6. Paradise Valley, Arizona
7. Solana Beach, California
8. Newport Beach, California
9. Mercer Island, Washington
10. Greenwood Village, Colorado