Money has crowned Atlanta 2022's best place to live in the United States.

Citing its economic prospects, median home sales price of $395,000*, culture, parks, bike paths and hiking trails, the magazine says the city of just over 500,000 “punches above its weight” and makes “anyone feel like they belong.”

Hometown of Martin Luther King Jr. and integral to the nation’s Civil War and Civil Rights history, Atlanta is the fourth-largest black-majority city in the U.S.  It also offers some of the best universities in the country, including Georgia Tech.

It boasts the Atlanta Braves baseball team, the Hawks (NBA) and Falcons (NFL), the Atlanta Opera, impressive restaurants, museums, art and music — and so many trees it's been dubbed the ”city in a forest.”

Also called “The Big Peach,” Atlanta has 21 farmers markets within the city proper, plus a seven-acre “food forest” where volunteers can keep all the fruit, vegetables and herbs that they pick.

Industries have flocked to Atlanta with job opportunities ever since it was host to the 1996 Olympics, followed by dot-com companies in the early 2000s. Today, Atlanta is host to tech, startup and venture capital companies, not to mention Apple, Microsoft and Google and, of course, Coca-Cola.

On top of this, Atlanta’s last two mayors have committed capital to maintain the city’s Southern charm while expanding its infrastructure and ensuring that there is affordable housing.

U.S. News & World Report also analyzed Atlanta’s quality of life, job opportunities and standing among its citizens, and, on a scale of 150, ranks it #95 in Best Places to Live and #90 in Best Places to Retire.


* $30,000 lower than the national median of $425,000