Two Iowa Towns Named the Best Places to Live in the Country

Each year, a new ranking of the top places to live in the entire country comes out. The list for 2024 was released recently and revealed a couple of Iowa towns that made the cut!

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These rankings come from Livability. In past 'best places to live' rankings, there have been four Iowa cities to make the list. One of the cities that made the list this year has been on it the last three years in a row. The other has made the list for two years in a row.

Best Places to Live in the US

In order for Livailibty to determine these rankings annually, they look at important factors. Those factors include each city's "economy, housing and cost of living, amenities, transportation, environment, safety, education and health."

All important things when it comes to a good overall place to live.

Before looking into Iowa's best places to live for 2024, let's go back a couple of years to see how things have changed.

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Iowa's Best Places to Live for 2022

When Livability's rankings came out for 2022, four Iowa cities made the list. Those were Iowa City at number 46, Ames at 80, Des Moines at 90, and Dubuque at 96.

Iowa Best Places to Live for 2023

Then, in 2023, Dubuque and Ames dropped off the list but were replaced by two new cities. 2023's rankings were Cedar Rapids at 50, Davenport at 88, Des Moines at 89, and Iowa City at 94.

Best Places to Live in Iowa for 2024

As for the 2024 rankings, Iowa lost two spots in the top 100, but the two that remained were also in the top 100 last year.

We'll start at the lowest-ranking city on the list, which is Iowa City, who jumped up quite a few spots from last year to number 55!

And coming in as the 41st best place to live in Iowa is Cedar Rapids.