U.S. News: Where Providence Ranks Among Best Places To Live

Providence is the 91st-best place to live among America’s 125 largest metro areas. That’s according to a new report published Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report. The news and information publisher determined the rankings based on factors such as quality of life, job market, value of living there and desire to live there.

The report only ranks the 125 most populous metro areas. Most of the top 25 are located in the middle of the country, though the tech boom has benefited the Pacific Northwest too.

Austin ranked as the best place to live for the third year in a row, followed by two Colorado cities. Interestingly, the Northeast was notably lacking at the top of the list. Washington, D.C. ranked 19th and the next-highest city in the region was Portland, Maine, at 23.

“Our Northeastern cities, which are epicenters of higher education and economic development, are not growing nearly as much as places in Florida, California and Texas,” Devon Thorsby, real estate editor at U.S. News, said in a release. “Plus, they are expensive to live in. Top-ranked places have the characteristics people are looking for, including steady job growth, affordability and a high quality of life.”

Here are the top 10 places to live in 2019:

1. Austin, TX
2. Denver, CO
3. Colorado Springs, CO
4. Fayetteville, AR
5. Des Moines, IA
6. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
7. San Francisco, CA
8. Portland, OR
9. Seattle, WA
10. Raleigh and Durham, NC

Here's what the report's authors had to say about Providence.

"Providence is a culturally diverse metro area home to young professionals and artists, characterized by a quaint New England vibe. Providence has a budding economy fueled by the health care, education, tourism and financial sectors. Over the past several decades, Providence has undergone a dramatic facelift following a period of industrial decline. Providence's renaissance is now evident throughout the metro area, from the carefully restored urban landscape of downtown, to the hip coffee shops and thriving community gardens of the trendy West End.

"In more recent years, this renaissance has helped foster an exceptional culinary scene, numerous arts venues and thoughtfully planned urban spaces throughout the city center. Factor in the presence of top-notch institutions like Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design, and a proximity to some of New England's most beautiful beaches, and you'll see what has made Providence an appealing place to live.

"Close-knit communities in the metro area's various neighborhoods – whether it's the artsy 20- and 30-somethings of the West Side, the families of the East Side or the students on College Hill – are just one of many reasons folks find it easy to call Providence home."

San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico that was devastated by Hurricane Maria in September 2017, ranked last. Five California metro areas also fell in the bottom 10. They were: Bakersfield, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno and Salinas.

Other major metros at the bottom of the list include Memphis, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Quality of life and value received the most weight in the rankings. The authors created indexes for both using metrics such as crime rates, quality of health care and education, median household income, proportion of homeowners with a mortgage, and yearly housing costs. Click here to read the full methodology.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.