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Which US City Should I Live In?
Do you wonder which city is right for you? This selector features over 300 US metropolitan areas. These are America's major population centers combining neighboring cities and surrounding suburbs. More than 80% of Americans live in these metro areas. Much of the data used here has been made available by the U.S. Census Bureau and other governmental sources. The third party raters, cited in this selector, of the best places for various activities and interests tend to focus on larger metro areas. Unless otherwise noted, over 300 metro areas have been ranked for each each question.


Are you interested in seeing which state in America best matches your preferences?
  Yes, I want to know which American state is right for me.
  Actually, I wonder which nation in the world is best for me.
  No, I am here because I am interested in learning which metropolitan area in the USA is best for me.



Your first question is below.


1. What population size would you prefer?
A smaller metropolitan area with fewer than 200,000 people
A medium sized metropolitan area with 200,000 to 500,000
A larger metropolitan area with more than 500,000 people
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

2. What sort of population density suits you?
Sparser. Fewer people per square mile. The benefits include lots of space, but the disadvantages may include sprawl and longer commute times.
Denser. More people per square mile. On the downside there is more crowding, but the advantages generally include the convenience of nearby shopping.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

3. Would you prefer an urban area that people are moving to or moving from?


Fast growing. If people are attracted to the area, it must have something going for it.
Static/shrinking. If people aren't moving there and/or people are leaving, it probably means more affordable house prices.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

4. Would you like a city that NerdWallet.com calculated is among the top twenty most affordable places to buy a home?
Source: NerdWallet.com

Yes, I'd like a place with affordable house prices.
No. There are good real estate deals to be found in every city.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

5. What about the ratio of unmarried men to unmarried women?
More unmarried males eighteen years and older preferred.
More unmarried females eighteen years and older preferred.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

6. Would you like a location in which more residents than average earned college degrees?
Yes, I'd like a place with a lot of college graduates.
No. I don't care about people's education levels.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

7. Do you care about the physical fitness level and shape of the citizens?
Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being

A fit city where people have a lower than average body mass index.
A fat city where people have a higher than average body mass index.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

8. Would you like a place with many pleasant weather days every year?
We define a pleasant weather day as being about 65 degrees without rain. Perhaps you'd like a colder or a hotter climate.
A moderate climate preferred.
A colder climate preferred.
A hotter climate preferred.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

9. What sort of income levels would your perfect city have?
Higher than average wages...which is generally accompanied by higher than average prices.
Lower than average wages...which is generally accompanied by lower than average prices.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

10. Would you be interested in cities that the personal finance website, WalletHub.com, identified good places to start a business?
Source: WalletHub.com

Yes, a good place to start a business is preferred.
No. I don't intend to start a business.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

11. Would you prefer a city identified by MoneyUnder30.com as a good place to be young, broke and single?
Source: MoneyUnder30.com

Yes, I'd like a place that is a good place to be young, broke and single.
No. I won't be young, broke or single
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

12. Want a place that has qualities that retirees appreciate?
WalletHub.com looked at various factors including affordability, employment opportunities, activities, accessibility to health care and general quality of life.
Source: WalletHub.com
Yes, I'd like a place that meets the needs and preferences of retired people.
No. I don't intend to be retiring anytime soon.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

13. Would you like a place where people make good use of their public transit?
Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight.com ranked public transportation in America's metropolitan areas by bus and rail trips per resident.

Source: WalletHub.com

Yes, a popularly used system of buses, subways, trolleys and trains would be a plus.
No. I won't need to use public transportation.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

14. Would you like a place that the League of American Bicyclists rated as a bike-friendly community?


Source: League of American Bicyclists

Yes, I'd like a place that is a good place to bike.
No. I am not a bike rider.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

15. Would you like a place that Prevention magazine listed as being among the best cities for walkers?

Source: Prevention magazine

Yes, I'd like a place that is a good place to walk.
No. I am not walker.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

16. Want to avoid big city homicides?
If you prefer cities with populations greater than a quarter million people that have low murder rates, check the box below. A yes response gives points to safer big cities. The usually safer smaller cities (which don't appear in public FBI statistics) and the more dangerous big cities will drop down on your results list.Source: public FBI data
Yes, the fewer murders, the better.
No. Even in violent cities, the odds of being murdered are low--especially if you are prudent.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

17. Would you like a metropolitan area that OrganicGardening.com put on their list of "Green Cities"
OrganicGardening said these "urban areas are working to make their neighborhoods (and the planet) healthier and more sustainable".

Yes, I'd like to be in green city.
No. I don't really care about gardens and like.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

18. Would you like a city that the Mother Nature Network determined is a good place for outdoor enthusiast?

Source: Mother Nature Network

Yes, I'd like a place where I can enjoy outdoor activies.
No. I am more of an indoor person.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

19. Would you like a place on Men's Fitness's Best Sports Cities list?
Men's Fitness made their choices by considering the number of sports bars and sporting goods stores per capita, sports radio stations, stadiums in the vicinity, attendance at games among other factors.
Source: Men's Fitness

Yes, I'd prefer to be in a good sports city.
No. I am not a sports fan.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

20. Do you like good restaurants?
Travel and Leisure magazine selected over thirty big cities (plus one town of 40,000) that they said are the best cities for foodies.
Source: Travel and Leisure magazine

Yes, I'd a like a town is known for its good places to eat.
No. I prefer to eat at home and/or am not a food snob.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

21. Are you a beer connoisseur?
If you enjoy beer, especially craft beer, you may like a place which Draft Magazine bestowed the title of "Beertown, U.S.A".

Source: Draft Magazine

Yes, I'd like a town with good beer.
No. I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer the regular beer you can find anywhere.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

22. Looking for livability?
Independent of each other, Livability.com and Vocativ.com rated the most livable cities in America. Large and small cities are included. Source: Livability.com and Vocativ.com
Yes, quality of life is important to me.
No, give me my books, my television set and my Internet connection and I can be happy anywhere.
No preference
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority

23. Where in the United States would you prefer to live? Check any, all or none
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Prioritize your choice:
Low Priority High Priority


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