ATLANTA — Atlanta has been named the second-best city in the United States and the best city to live in on the U.S. East Coast by Travel + Leisure.
The study pointed to 30 living factors such as health care, education, culture, stability, environment, infrastructure, and stability. The only city ranked higher than Atlanta according to the list was Honolulu.
Travel + Leisure asks readers annually for their choices of top hotels, resorts, cities, islands and more on a survey. Cities were ranked by several criteria, including sights and landmarks, culture, food, friendliness, shopping and value.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Atlanta added nearly 69,000 residents between 2022 and 2023 and the population currently is more than 500,000 residents.
The list also highlighted Atlanta’s growing and thriving film industry with more than a dozen studios in the area; that includes Tyler Perry Studios, Trilith Studios and the new Assembly Studios.
Atlanta is home to major corporations such as Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola, and Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is the world’s busiest airport.
The list also highlighted several fun places to visit in Atlanta such as the 22-mile Beltline trail system, the world-renown Trap Music Museum owned by Atlanta hip-hop icon, philanthropist and community advocate T.I., the Georgia Aquarium, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame and more.
The Ponce City Market is a fun place to shop and eat with many great restaurants, shops, a rooftop bar with arcade games and more.
According to the Travel + Leisure list, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Boston, Miami, San Francisco; and Minneapolis also were ranked among best cities to live in the U.S.