Madison ranks No. 1 in ‘best places to live’ survey

Madison comes in at No. 1 on a list of “Top 100 Best Places to Live” in the United States.

The second-annual list from livability.com is based on eight factors: health care, education, social and civic capital, demographics, amenities, housing, economics and infrastructure.

Out of the eight criteria that cities were judged on, Madison scored highest in the housing category, according to the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“This is a wonderful win for our city,” Deb Archer, GMCVB president and CEO, said in a news release. “It is our key assets — our top-ranked hospitals, first-rate University of Wisconsin-Madison and endless options for recreation — that make our citizens proud to call Madison home every day. Earning the top spot as the Most Livable City in America is both exciting and well deserved.”

The site said, “Whether you drill down into our quality-of-life statistics or analyze the city’s array of amenities, Madison stands out as Livability.com’s 2015 Best Place to Live. Both a capitol city and a hip college town, Madison provides residents with affordable housing, great schools, excellent health care and a wide range of recreational activities and entertainment options.”

The top 10 included: 

• No. 2, Rochester, Minnesota.

• No. 3, Arlington, Virginia.

• No. 4, Boulder, Colorado.

• No. 5, Palo Alto, California.

• No. 6, Berkeley, Califonria.

• No. 7, Santa Clara, California.

• No. 8, Missoula, Montana.

• No. 9, Boise, Idaho.

• No. 10, Iowa City, Iowa.

On the Web…

http://livability.com/best-places/top-100/2015