This is the Best City to Live in North Carolina
About one in every five American workers whose job could be performed remotely worked from home before the COVID-19 pandemic. That share jumped to nearly three in four following the abrupt closure of offices nationwide, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2020. For millions of Americans, the shift to remote work is now permanent, and the new dynamic means they are no longer tied to a specific city for their job and can choose a place to live based on other factors, including quality of life — which varies considerably in the United States.
Affordability, access to public spaces and services, the presence of entertainment and cultural amenities, crime rates, and socioeconomic conditions are just a few of the factors that can influence quality of life in a given city or town.
24/7 Wall St. created a weighted index of 25 measures in four main categories – economy, affordability, quality of life, and community – using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, and other sources to identify the best city to live in each state. We considered all boroughs, census designated places, cities, towns, and villages with at least 8,000 residents.
Davidson, North Carolina, located along the shore of Lake Norman just north of Charlotte, ranks as the best place to live in the state. Davidson is both pedestrian and bicycle friendly with multiple public spaces and a goal of developing a park within a quarter of a mile of every household. The town has multiple annual events and, in addition to entertainment and cultural amenities in nearby Charlotte, boasts a high per capita concentration of restaurants, hotels, gyms, sports teams and clubs, and movie theaters.
Davidson is also a safe community. There were only 61 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in the area in 2019 compared to North Carolina’s violent crime rate of 372 per 100,000.
Our index is composed of data across four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life, and community. Data is all for the most recent year available and came from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, The Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources. This is the best city to live in every state.
PlacePopulationMedian home value ($)Median household income ($)5-yr. avg. unemployment (%)Alabama: Hoover85,175291,00089,4523.3Alaska: Juneau32,227345,90088,3904.6Arizona: Paradise Valley14,3621,516,200211,3932.1Arkansas: Lowell9,175157,60068,4381.0California: Burlingame30,5761,901,900128,4474.7Colorado: Durango18,588463,70066,1604.8Connecticut: Darien21,7421,471,700232,5234.9Delaware: Smyrna11,484206,40067,2775.4Florida: Key Biscayne12,9151,211,000151,3105.3Georgia: Sandy Springs107,072471,80078,6133.0Hawaii: Urban Honolulu348,985683,00071,4653.7Idaho: Meridian101,905274,90071,3893.7Illinois: Winnetka12,4281,091,700250,000+2.4Indiana: Carmel97,464333,200112,7652.5Iowa: North Liberty18,829220,80083,9491.1Kansas: Leawood34,670463,200157,5152.7Kentucky: Fort Mitchell8,257272,20067,7450.5Louisiana: Harahan9,304240,30066,7413.6Maine: Portland66,595289,00060,4672.8Maryland: Takoma Park17,672583,80084,5915.6Massachusetts: Brookline59,180933,200117,3262.8Michigan: Royal Oak59,195224,60081,6653.2Minnesota: Edina51,746476,300104,2443.1Mississippi: Byram11,578141,70066,6412.2Missouri: Ladue8,601831,800214,8751.3Montana: Belgrade8,685243,20059,1462.9Nebraska: Papillion20,423189,90080,6192.5Nevada: Reno246,500335,00058,7905.4New Hampshire: Portsmouth21,775425,60083,9232.1New Jersey: Hoboken53,193720,700147,6203.0New Mexico: Corrales8,588447,60085,5802.8New York: Rye15,8201,392,100192,6884.1North Carolina: Davidson12,735448,300124,8532.8North Dakota: West Fargo35,397241,00085,1201.5Ohio: Bay Village15,325247,900103,5821.3Oklahoma: Bixby`223,90083,1192.9Oregon: Sherwood19,625405,900103,5121.8Pennsylvania: Wyomissing10,473245,60081,1784.3Rhode Island: Newport24,663448,80067,1025.2South Carolina: Mount Pleasant86,982461,000103,2322.1South Dakota: Brandon9,934225,20087,2501.6Tennessee: Brentwood42,407655,400168,6882.6Texas: Highland Park9,1681,508,900211,1361.4Utah: South Jordan71,198405,400104,5971.6Vermont: South Burlington19,162307,50073,0653.7Virginia: Vienna16,489743,500161,1962.4Washington: Mercer Island25,6751,218,200147,5664.0West Virginia: Weirton18,67094,80049,4966.6Wisconsin: Middleton19,487336,90076,0112.5Wyoming: Cheyenne63,607214,30064,5985.4
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