Gainesville: No. 1 in our hearts and No. 34 in the best place to live in the country.
The city of Gainesville just clinched a spot on Livability.com’s Top 100 Best Places to Live list.
The list, which was released Tuesday, was narrowed down from 700 small- to mid-sized cities across the country.
“The ranking is purely data driven,” said Matt Carmichael, the 39-year-old vice president and editor of the website.
Each city was ranked on criteria including demographics, economy, education, health care and housing.
The scores were added up and compared to determine the final ranking.
Palo Alto, Calif., topped the chart in first place; Boulder, Colo., took No. 2, and Berkeley, Calif., took third.
Beside Gainesville, seven other Florida cities also placed, including Miami Beach in fifth place, Tampa in 19th and Tallahassee in 42nd.
Although this is the first national-ranking list the website has produced, it will be recreated and updated once a year, Carmichael said.
“It’s inaugural but an annual list,” Carmichael said.
Andy Fasig, the 42-year-old manager at Chain Reaction Bike Shop, arrived in Gainesville in ’91 as a UF student.
He said he wasn’t surprised by Gainesville’s high ranking.
“It’s great because Gainesville has the small-town appeal without the small-town thinking,” he said. “You get the best of both worlds.”
Fasig said he especially likes the centralized feel of Gainesville and deemed it “the best bike community in Florida.”
Rebecca Atkins, 21, is a UF wildlife ecology and conservation senior and was happy to hear Gainesville ranked so high.
Even as a Tallahassee native, Atkins said she favors her current city, which has been her home for the past four years.
“I’ve never had a bad experience in Gainesville,” she said.
While No. 34 is a strong placement, Fasig still thinks Gainesville can do better.
“I’d like to see us in the top 20,” he said. “This is as good as it gets in the southeast United States.”
A version of this story ran on page 9 on 10/18/2013 under the headline "Gainesville 34th best place to live"
