Casper Ranks as One of the Top 100 Places to Live in the USA

We live in Wyoming for many reasons.  For some it might be the wide open spaces and the fresh air.  For others it's the small town life and quality of living and low unemployment rate.  Those are some of the same reasons Casper has made the list of 'Top 100 Best Places to Live' list.

The 2016 edition features a new No. 1 city and updated rankings, which are the culmination of months-long exclusive research into what factors most influence the livability of America’s small to mid-sized cities. More than 30 states are represented, from coast to coast.

The list is an exclusive, independent, editorial ranking by Livability.com. This year we are proud to have collaborated with world-renowned urbanist Richard Florida and assistant clinical professor Steven Pedigo from the Initiative for Creativity and Innovation in Cities at NYU School of Professional Studies, our new data partners EMSI and our stellar board of advisors in shaping our methodology and the framework by which we rank the cities.

Casper is the only Wyoming city to be named to the list and ranks at #75.

“Each of these cities is a great place to live,” says Matt Carmichael, editor of Livability.com. “Not every city is perfect for everyone, of course, but these are the top 5 percent, and somewhere in the Top 100, you’ll find a great fit to call your best place.”

More than 2,100 cities (with populations between 20,000 and 350,000) were evaluated in this landmark study. We analyzed more than 40 data points that were then grouped into eight categories: economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education, and health care. The eight scores were weighted based on an exclusive survey conducted for Livability.com by Ipsos Public Affairs, a leading global market research firm. Respondents were asked about factors that make their communities better places to live, as well as the factors they would consider in selecting another city. Sources included the best public and private data available from organizations like the U.S. Census Bureau, Walk Score, GreatSchools.com and Esri.

The research team was supported by an advisory board of the leading academics, authors, policy makers and practitioners in the places space.

“This is a great time to study livability,” Carmichael says. “Cities large and small are renewing their focus on improving the day-to-day lives of residents through better transportation, more vibrant downtowns, affordability and accessibility for a range of residents. As a site that covers these issues each day, we take special pride in recognizing the cities that are achieving these goals as the best of the best.”

The top 100 cities are featured on Livability.com, along with their LivScore and information about the qualities and amenities that helped them make the list.