Huntsville named #1 Best Place to Live in America by U.S. News. ALSO: See how the rest of Alabama did.

The secret is out. According to the U.S. News and World Report, Huntsville, Alabama topped its annual Best Places to Live in the U.S. rankings.

Widely considered the definitive list for such a poll,  Huntsville has been blasting to the top of the national list over the past few years. In 2020, the Rocket City ranked 15th on the annual list. They won the bronze with a third place finish in 2021.

How They Ranked 150 Metro Areas

In total, U.S. News ranked 150 communities across America. They used a methodology that factors in job market, housing affordability, quality of life, desirability and net migration ratings. Huntsville’s high-tech workforce centered at Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research Park and manufacturing jobs at Toyota Motor Manufacturing and Mazda Toyota Manufacturing were major factors in the city’s ranking.

How Did the Rest of Alabama Do?

In addition to Huntsville, three other major Alabama municipalities were ranked in the 2022 survey — Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile.

Here is how they fared:

• Birmingham — #71
• Montgomery — #125
• Mobile — #130

Let’s do some comparisons.

Birmingham did beat out Chicago #79 and Atlanta  #95 overall in this year’s rankings.

Both Montgomery and Mobile did better than Miami, Las Vegas and for bragging rights (especially on the Gulf) — New Orleans.

Curious about the top 10?

Here they are!

• Huntsville, Ala.
• Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Green Bay, Wisc.
• Boulder, Colo.
• San Jose, Calif.
• Raleigh/Durham, N.C.
• Fayetteville, Ark.
• Portland, Maine
• Sarasota, Fla.
• San Francisco

Did U.S. News and World Report get it right? Let the debate begin! Comment on our social media channels by tagging @thebamabuzz