Decatur boasts about its “traditional small-town atmosphere — and the sophistication and excitement of a college town — along with all the benefits of living in a major metropolitan area.” It can also boast about being the best place to live in Georgia.
Each year, data research website Niche ranks the best places to live in the United States. The ranking “provides a comprehensive assessment of the overall livability of an area,” taking into account location, quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics and access to amenities in an attempt to measure the overall quality of an area.
In Georgia, Decatur came out on top with an A+ overall rating. The city received an A-, A or A+ in all categories except housing (B), cost of living (B-}, crime and safety (C+), and weather (B+).
When added to the rest of the country, Decatur ranked No. 63, one of only three Georgia cities to make the top 100 nationwide.
One spot below Decatur — both in the state and the country — was Alpharetta, which also scored an A+ overall rating. Alpharetta outranked Decatur when it came to places to raise a family, though, claiming the top spot for top place and top suburb. Decatur finished third in both categories.
No. 3 in Georgia, and No. 94 nationwide, was Johns Creek. The suburb also scored an A+, and took the No. 2 spot in the state for both best place and best suburb to raise a family.
Rounding out the top 10 best places to live in Georgia were:
No. 4: Atlantic Station
No. 5: North Decatur
No. 6: Milton
No. 7: Peachtree Heights East
No. 8: Berkeley Lake
No. 9: Brookwood
No. 10: Midtown
For the rest of the ranking, click here.
The top three places to live are also the top three suburbs. Here are the other seven top suburbs.
No. 4: North Decatur
No. 5: Milton
No. 6: Berkeley Lake
No. 7: Suwanee
No. 8: Roswell
No. 9: Peachtree Corners
No. 10: Vinings
NOTE: An earlier version of this story mislabled the Nos. 4-10 best suburbs as the best places to live in Georgia. This has been corrected.
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