Green Bay ranks No. 1 for best places to live

GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — U.S. News & World Report has released its 2023-24 best places to live in the U.S. list, and Green Bay is number one.

Titletown has taken the top spot out of the 150 largest metro areas analyzed. To make it onto the top of the list, a place had to have affordability, be a desirable place to live, have a strong job market, and have a high quality of life.

"I love this area," Green Bay resident Alex Dixon said.

With the top ranking for Green Bay, we asked people for their favorite part about the area.

"By the river, the riverwalk, you know, and Hagemeister Park is great, and all of the restaurants and nightlife downtown, Copper State Brewery," Dixon said.

"I like all of the recreational trails, biking, hiking, the dog parks," De Pere resident Sarah Boltz said.

"I still feel like I'm at home even though it's not exactly where I grew up," Green Bay resident Jessica Ullman said.

"The atmosphere and the environment, the interactions with people and stuff like that," Green Bay resident Raylon Dinzy said. "It's not the same anywhere else."

And if you're Mayor Eric Genrich, he said it's Bay Beach.

"Bay Beach is one of a kind, and a great amenity for us," Genrich said.

Genrich said he thinks housing affordability and community safety helped Green Bay grab the top spot.

But the mayor said the people are what stand out the most about the city.

"The people here are just, you know, the most down-to-earth, and the most welcoming, the hardest working that you're going to find just about anywhere," Genrich said.

Green Bay receiving the top ranking is an achievement in itself.

But Greater Green Bay Chamber Vice President of Talent & Education Eric Vanden Heuvel said while it's rewarding, it's also not that surprising.

"All of the research that we've done around what people are looking for from their community and from a quality of life standpoint, Green Bay has," Vanden Heuvel said.

As a chamber, Vanden Heuvel said they are really focused on quality of life and economic development.

"It's not always reinventing the wheel, but it's finding where are opportunities for us to grow and improve, and how can we start to leverage those through partnerships," Vanden Heuvel said.

So, whether you live here for family or for work, or something else, Green Bay's ranking shows that the area has so much to offer.

Don't forget, we have the Packers, too.

Packers running back A.J. Dillon tweeted his reaction to Green Bay being named the best place to live:

Overall, Green Bay scored a 6.9, ranking number one for the best place to live, number 27 for the best place to retire, number seven for the best place to live for quality of life, number eight for the cheapest place to live and ranking 18 for the safest place to live.

The Green Bay Police Department sent NBC 26 the following statement:

The top 10 best places to live in the U.S. in 2023-24:

1. Green Bay, Wis.
2. Huntsville, Ala.
3. Raleigh & Durham, N.C.
4. Boulder, Colo.
5. Sarasota, Fla.
6. Naples, Fla.
7. Portland, Maine
8. Charlotte, N.C.
9. Colorado Springs, Colo.
10. Fayetteville, Ark.

Madison was just shy of the top 10, taking spot number 11 with an overall score of 6.7.
Milwaukee was ranked 65th with an overall score of 6.3.

To see the full list of the best places to live in the U.S., click HERE.