Central New York City Named Best Place to Live in the Northern US

A new national roundup calls one city in Upstate New York the best places to live in the Northeast because it's both extremely affordable and safe.

When I was moving to Central New York last year, one of my top priorities was finding a place that was in a safe neighborhood. I'm not the only person who values their safety and privacy, so it's understandable why some places in CNY are more popular to live in than others.

Finding a quiet neighborhood is one thing, but finding one that is also easy on the wallet feels like a rarity these days.

A new survey from WorldAtlas found such areas in the Northern part of the country, which tends to be a little more pricy than most of the United States. One of those 9 highlighted cities was this charming college city in Central New York.

9 Best Places to Live in Northern US

World Atlas included all northern states for its research and highlighted areas like Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Both areas were praised for their balanced median home prices and median household income, in addition to the entertainment scene and overall safety.

Read More: Historic Upstate New York Town Named "Most Charming" in America

Coming in fourth place was Ithaca, New York. World Atlas said the city is more than just one of the best places to live in Northern America, it is "the best place to live in the whole US. "

Said World Atlas:

The small city attracts students, families, and young professionals with its Ivy League school, Cornell University—a prestigious place to get an education that opens up doors. Not surprisingly, many stick around after studies, being an ultimate vacationland of the Finger Lakes region, with great city amenities like coffee shops, bookstores, and diverse cuisine, where it only costs a median of $405,000 to own against all the natural splendor!

Ithaca was also praised for its low unemployment rate, even lower poverty rate, lower cost of living when it came to its food and grocery prices, and for having a relatively high median household income, which is roughly $90,000.

Other Perks of CNY Living

World Atlas also heaped praise onto Ithaca for its natural, scenic beauty. "The picturesque college town brings the phrase “Ithaca is gorges” to life, with stunning gorges and waterfalls around and just a 1% higher cost of living than the national average," it raved.

Other perks included Ithaca's tight-knitted community, superb school system, proximity to natural parks and nature trails, restaurant scene, artsy community, and job opportunity.

In all, the outlet ruled:

Families enjoy the safe city and access to nature, with rich soils around the Finger Lakes evident through markets and the culinary landscape, while the town gives back by focusing on sustainability like a well-oiled machine.

World Atlas deduced that all these factors are why so many grads from the area's colleges ultimately wind up moving to Ithaca, which explains why it has such a young median age for its residents - which is 22.8 years.

Read More: Two Historic NY Restaurants Named "Most Legendary" in the World

Do you agree Ithaca should be one of the best places to live in America in 2024? Sound off in the comments below.

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