Four Illinois cities make top 10 ‘Best Affordable Places to Live’ list from US News
Four Illinois cities made the U.S. News & World Report’s roundup of the 10 Best Affordable Places to Live in the U.S. for 2022-23.
According to the rankings released Tuesday, Moline, East Moline and Rock Island, Ill., took the No. 4 spot as a group listing with the Quad Cities. Peoria, in the heart of Illinois and within a day-trip’s distance of Chicago, took the No. 9 spot.
U.S. News summed up Peoria, a town of 112,000 and about three hours southwest of Chicago, thusly: “You can buy a lot of house for relatively little money in this metro area’s gentrified urban neighborhoods, along its river-view bluff and in its family-filled suburban subdivisions. Gritty old warehouses are becoming entertainment districts where foodies congregate, live music flourishes and loft apartments multiply. Stage theater is returning to architectural-jewel venues.”
Moline, East Moline and Rock Island join two Iowa locales to make up the confusingly named Quad Cities.
“Spanning two states over the Mississippi River, the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois can feel smaller than it is. Despite its name, the Quad Cities are composed of five cities: Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa; and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline, Illinois. Each is distinct, but with downtowns clustered along the same riverfront and collaborations across business, service and the arts, the area offers many of the amenities you’d expect from one larger city.”
Why did the Illinois cities make US News’ list?
U.S. News cited a survey of roughly 3,500 U.S. residents. It asked participants to weigh the importance of various factors that affect where they might choose to live.
“To pinpoint the most affordable places on the list, we looked at the proportion of the median annual household income that goes toward the average cost to own or rent a home, including the typical cost of utilities and taxes,” U.S News said in its analysis.
In a separate analysis of 150 metro areas across the country, assessing the best places to live based on quality of life and the local job market, U.S. News gave Peoria an overall rating of 6.3.
More information on the full methodology is available online.
Here’s the full list of The 10 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2022-2023:
- Huntsville, Ala.
- Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Green Bay, Wis.
- Boulder, Colo.
- San Jose, Calif.
- Raleigh and Durham, N.C.
- Fayetteville, Ark.
- Portland, Maine
- Sarasota, Fla.
- San Francisco, Calif.