This Is Washington's Best Place To Live

The best place to reside in Washington is apparently Snoqualmie, in King County. That’s according to a new report from the financial news and opinion site 24/7 Wall St., which determined the best city to live in every state.

The authors acknowledged that while many things factor into what makes a place “home,” some specific attributes are commonly shared and “universally desirable.” These include essentials like safe streets, a strong local economy, affordability and diverse entertainment options.

Here’s the 24/7 Wall St. breakdown for Snoqualmie:

• Population: 12,510
• Five-year population change: +28.3 percent
• Median home value: $471,800
• Median household income: $131,453

Here’s what the authors had to say:

Snoqualmie, Washington, is one of the safest places in the country, with just 15 violent crimes for every 100,000 city residents in 2017. The town’s property crime rate of 1,077 incidents per 100,000 residents is also less than half the national rate.

Areas with higher median household incomes tend to have less crime than lower income areas. The median annual household income in Snoqualmie, which is within commuting distance of Seattle, is $131,453 a year, one of the higher incomes among American cities.

In addition to the culture and entertainment Seattle has to offer, Snoqualmie has a higher than typical concentration of restaurants, bars, museums, and movie theatres.

Most of the best cities to live in were relatively affluent. That includes Paradise Valley, dubbed the best place to live in Arizona, where the median home value is north of $1.3 million — more than seven times the national median. The median household in the town earns an income of $173,487.

To identify the best cities to live in, the researchers created a weighted index of more than two dozen measures in four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life and community.

Some of the measures include ratio of median home value to median income, cost of living, unemployment rate, poverty rate, food insecurity rate, death rate and violent crime rate. But several cities and towns were much more modest.

Batesville, Arkansas, was highlighted specifically because it’s so affordable and has various attractions and amenities. The median household in the city earns $42,143 a year, while the median home is worth $120,400.

“With roots as far back as 1804, Batesville is the second oldest city in Arkansas,” the authors noted. “The city, which avoided destruction in the Civil War, has a number of historic buildings and sites. There are attractions in the area for nearly every taste and preference, including antique stores, art galleries, an annual film festival, and the Batesville Motor Speedway.”

What do you think? Did 24/7 Wall St. get it right? Is Snoqualmie the best town in Washington?

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Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson