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Seattle tops 61 other cities as “Best to Live in”

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Seattle edged out Virginia Beach, Virginia and Austin, Texas in a “Best Large Cities to Live In” ranking by WalletHub.

The personal finance website compared the country’s 62 largest cities using 56 key indicators of attractiveness, including quality of public schools, life expectancy, job opportunities and property taxes. The metrics were grouped and weighted into what WalletHub described as five key dimensions: Affordability, Economy, Education & Health, Quality of Life, and Safety.

Seattle’s first place overall ranking was bolstered by top scores in the economy and education & health categories. Income growth and access to public transportation also merited top scores. The city earned sixth place for quality of life, with New York claiming that top spot. Job opportunities, air quality and walkability also scored above average.

Not all metrics favored the Emerald City. Seattle’s “affordability” score was well below average, ranking 50th among the 62 cities. Violent crime was also sub-par. The city’s public hospital system and park system were considered about average.

Rounding out the “top five” best large cities to live in were No. 4 San Francisco and No. 5 San Diego. At the other end of the spectrum were Memphis at No. 61 and last-place Detroit.

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