'Best Places To Live' In America

One Illinois suburb with less than 27,000 residents earned the title being one of the best places to live in Illinois. Is it closer to home than you think?

Over the past year, I've been doing a lot of traveling to visit friends who live hours away from me. Sure, they could come to Rockford but I have been more adventurous lately and utilizing my free time to go out of town as often as possible.

My first time ever driving into downtown Chicago was over the weekend and what an adventure that was. My friend I met with needed a ride later in the day to Batavia, Illinois and I didn't mind making the 45-minute drive.

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Little did I know, this suburb of Chicago was one of the most beautiful cities I've visited so far around Illinois. The homes were gorgeous, residential areas were quiet, and it seemed like an overall wonderful place to live - that's me comparing it to Rockford haha.

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This Illinois Suburb Named One Of Best Places To Live In America

According to Niche, I'm not the only one who thinks Batavia is a great place to raise a family. Most residents own their homes in this city and there's no wonder why!

"Batavia is a suburb of Chicago with a population of 26,261. Batavia is in Kane County and is one of the best places to live in Illinois. Living in Batavia offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Batavia there are a lot of restaurants and parks. Many young professionals live in Batavia and residents tend to lean conservative. The public schools in Batavia are highly rated." [Niche]

Based on thousands of statistics, Batavia was rated #76 of 364 best suburbs to live in Illinois, #81 of 638 best places to raise a family, and #81 of 364 best suburbs to raise a family in Illinois.

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A former resident even said,

"We raised our family in Batavia. I can’t say enough good things about the area. It’s a small town feel with all the amenities of big city. WE LOVED BATAVIA!!!"

Another former resident boasted about the outdoor amenities,

"Very quiet area. A lot of places near to visit and also has a nice forest park you can walk or jog! Friendly people. Not that many crimes here or any for that matter."

Fun fact I learned, too: Batavia was nicknamed 'The Windmill City' because of their industrial role as the windmill manufacturing capital of the world. The more ya know!

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If you just do a quick Google search about Batavia in the country overall, you'll find that it's just a really highly rated city in basically ever category. Now what about where you live?

LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in Illinois

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in Illinois using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.