Twin Cities Take No. 12 Spot In 'Best Places To Live' Ranking

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's easy for those in the Twin Cities to take it for granted that we live in one of the best places in the country if not the best, so it can knock the wind out of our sails whenever anyone argues we're not.

And that day has come.

Much to the chagrin of its sometimes-jaded residents, the Twin Cities wasn't able to crack the top 10 in a new "Best Places to Live in the USA" ranking.

But it came close.

According to U.S. News & World Report, Minneapolis-St. Paul takes home the No. 12 spot out of 100 of the most populous cities.

The often highly-lauded metro area was surpassed by such cities as San Jose and San Francisco in California, Seattle, Washington and Des Moines, Iowa -- which took the spot just ahead of the Twin Cities.

Coming in at No. 1 is Denver, Colorado, followed by Austin, Texas and Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The ranking was made by analyzing data for area desirability, value, job market, quality of life and net migration.