Three Middle Tennessee towns have made Money’s annual list of the “Best Places to Live” for 2021 – all ranking within the top 50 with one standing proud at 3rd place. The three towns that made the list include Franklin, Hendersonville, and La Vergne.
According to the list, which has been published annually for 35 years, Franklin, located in Williamson County, was ranked 3rd out of the top 50 towns in the US. Hendersonville, located in Chester County, was ranked 16th and La Vergne, located in Rutherford County, was ranked 26th.
Money cites Franklin’s fast-growing population, low tax rates, high median household income and long list of festivals and activities as their reasoning for the high ranking.
Hendersonville landed 16th place due to its wide variety of outdoor entertainment, educational and professional opportunities, and low unemployment rate.
La Vergne made the list at 26th place due to its increasing employment opportunities and close proximity to Nashville.
Chanhassen, Minnesota claimed the top spot in this year’s rankings. According to Money, the Minnesota city boasts a small-town atmosphere with big-city proximity which is why it landed the number one spot.
Along with Franklin and Chanhassen, the other three towns to round out the top 5 spots include Carmel, Indiana, Flower Mound, Texas, and Ashburn, Virginia.
The list takes into account nearly 100 different qualities organized into nine different categories:
- Cost of living
- Economic opportunity
- Diversity
- Education
- Fun (aka amenities)
- Health & safety
- Housing market
- Income & personal finances
- Quality of life
In 2020, Franklin made Money’s top 50 “Best Places to Live” claiming the 8th spot while Mount Juliet claimed the 22nd spot. These were the only two Tennessee towns that made the 2020 list.
For a look at the full top-50 list for 2021, you can visit https://money.com/collection/best-places-to-live-2021/.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
