Sammamish Valley Among Best Places To Live: 2021 Niche Ranking

REDMOND, WA — The Sammamish Valley neighborhood took one of the top spots in a new list of the best places to live in the United States, according to a new Niche report. The rankings were compiled using city data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources.

Niche considered a variety of topics to determine a town, city or neighborhood's standing, including affordability, the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, local public schools and walkability.

Sammamish Valley, located north of downtown Redmond, came in 15th place on the nationwide list of best places to live, receiving an overall grade from Niche of A+, with top marks almost across the board:

• Public Schools: A+
• Housing: A-
• Good for Families: A+
• Jobs: A
• Cost of Living: C
• Outdoor Activities: A+
• Nightlife: A
• Diversity: A-
• Weather: B
• Health & Fitness: A+
• Commute: A

Sammamish Valley also landed in Niche's top 20 in two other national categories:

• Best Neighborhoods to Live: #9
• Best Neighborhoods to Raise a Family: #19

Placing high on Niche's best cities rankings was neighboring Bellevue, at No. 10, and nearby Seattle, coming in at No. 13. Nationally, Niche's research found that Chesterbrook, Pa., was the best city to live in America, while the Woodlands, Texas, earned top honors.

Top 5 Best Cities to Live in America:

1. The Woodlands, Texas
2. Arlington, Virginia
3. Naperville, Illinois
4. Overland Park, Kansas
5. Cambridge, Massachusetts

Check out the rankings for other Washington cities on the Niche website.

Patch editors Amber Fisher and Payton Potter contributed to this report.