New England cities are largely absent from "Best Places To Live" ranking - and there's a big reason why
BOSTON - There's a new ranking of the "Best Places To Live" in America, compiled by U.S. News & World Report. But you'll have to scroll a long way down the list before you come across a New England city.
The Top 5 "Best Places to Live"
It's not just New England - few northern states can be found near the top of the ranking.
Naples, Florida, described by the magazine as "a tropical playground for the powerful and wealthy," came in first. Boise, Idaho was second, followed by Colorado Springs, Colorado; Greenville, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina.
The first northeast location appearing on the ranking is Buffalo, New York at No. 34.
Portland, Maine is the only New England entry in the Top 50, coming in at No. 38. Boston is 88th in the ranking.
Why aren't more New England cities among the best places to live?
From our sports teams to our world-class education, New Englanders are used to being ranked among the best. Just this month, U.S. News put New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts in the Top 10 of its "Best States" ranking. So what happened here?
Erika Giovanetti, U.S. News and World Report's loans expert, told WBZ-TV that it all came down to affordability.
"New England's high cost of living was a big contributor in where and how the region placed in this year's rankings," she said. "This year, financial stability was top-of-mind for respondents, who were particularly concerned about a city's value and job market. As a result, those categories were assigned more weight, which adversely impacted the New England region as a whole."
U.S. News considered housing affordability and prices to come up with a "value index" for each city. According to real estate investing platform Arrived, Boston is one of 10 cities where even well-off Americans can't comfortably afford to buy a home.
"Hartford, Connecticut was ranked the No. 1 most expensive city in our analysis, followed closely by New Haven at No. 4 and Boston at No. 9," Giovanetti said. "In fact, seven of the top 25 most expensive places to live were located in New England."
Click here to see the full ranking from U.S. News.
