Lexington crushes Louisville in national ‘best places to live’ ranking

Lexington crushes Louisville in national ‘best places to live’ ranking

Lexington’s win over Louisville in U.S. News & World Report’s “125 Best Places to Live in the USA” rankings could be its biggest victory since the UK football team came to town last year.

Both Kentucky cities popped up on the 2019 list, which was released Tuesday.

But the experts behind the rankings — based on qualifications such as desirability, cost of living, job market, quality of life and net migration — consider Lexington one of the most livable cities in the country, while Louisville still makes the list but is further down. Lexington ranks No. 29 with a 6.9 overall score (out of 10), while Louisville comes in at No. 64, with a score of 6.5.

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So what gives? How did Lex Vegas pull so far ahead in the publication’s rankings?

For one, Lexington scores much higher in quality of life, which was calculated by taking into account crime rates, health care options, quality of education, commute times and overall well-being. Louisville scored a 6.0 here, while Lexington touts a 6.9.

Lexington also came out ahead in desirability. U.S. News & World Report says it polled around 2,500 people across the country on which of the ranked areas they would most like to live — Louisville earned a 5.8 on this one, with Lexington scoring a 6.2.

The two cities were a little closer in other key metrics, such as value (Lexington 7.7, Louisville 7.9), job market (Lexington 6.4, Louisville 6.3) and net migration (Lexington 6.7, Louisville 6.2). Louisville’s 7.9 cost of living mark is among the best in the country.

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These results surely come as no surprise to Lexington residents, who would likely tell you that Keeneland is the nicest racetrack in the country and that other factors like UK sports and beautiful nearby areas like Red River Gorge make this an easy decision.

Louisville residents, meanwhile, will tell you that’s ridiculous and there’s no way the home of the Kentucky Derby, with its vibrant food and entertainment scene, is playing second fiddle in the Bluegrass State. Valid points on both sides.

Instead, though, let’s come together and take this opportunity to brag about how much better we are than cities like Los Angeles (No. 107), New York City (No. 90), Chicago (No. 104) and New Orleans (No. 114). They could all clearly learn a thing or two from us.

Austin, Texas, with a score of 7.6, came in No. 1 overall, with Denver and Colorado Springs coming in No. 2 and No. 3. Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Des Moines, Iowa, round out the top five, respectively.

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Lucas Aulbach can be reached at [email protected], 502-582-4649 or on Twitter @LucasAulbachCJ. Support strong local journalism and subscribe: www.courier-journal.com/lucasa.