Four of the Top Five Places to Live According to 'U.S. News & World Report' Are Southern Cities

Those of us lucky enough to call the South home, already know it's the best place to live. That said, it's always nice when someone agrees with us. Case in point: U.S. News & World Report, who put four Southern cities in the top five of its rankings of the Best Places to Live.

To make their determination, U.S. News looked at data on the country's 150 most populous metro areas, including the cost of living, job market, crime rates, quality of education and more. Through all that data, they figured out what we already knew–the South is pretty great. While Boulder, Colorado topped the list, North Carolina's own Raleigh-Durham came in second place for, as the publication noted, the Triangle "is luring new residents every day with strong job growth and a high quality of life."

Following them was Alabama's Rocket City, Huntsville at number 3 on the list, rising in appeal thanks to a revitalization of the downtown area bringing in more shopping, dining, and rental opportunities for residents. Coming in fourth place, Fayetteville, Arkansas has a little bit of everything. From large corporations like Walmart and Tyson Foods as well as the University of Arkansas all in the area, job opportunities are plentiful, plus the area boasts a lot of natural beauty for those who enjoy the outdoors. Rounding out the top five was Austin, Texas, which the reporter noted, "remains an ideal place to live for many, with a strong job market and continued long-term population growth."

Those weren't the only Southern cities to make the list, either. Naples, Florida, came in eight place followed by the Sarasota, Florida, at number 9. The secret is out about that beautiful city on the Gulf Coast, as Sarasota has "the second-fastest growing metro area out of the 150 places on the list, behind only Myrtle Beach, South Carolina." Southern cities including Spartanburg, S.C., Jacksonville and Melbourne, Florida., and Charlotte round out the top 25.

Check out the full list here while reveling in the fact that you made the right choice to live in the South.

Come on down, y'all. The weather is warm and we'll greet you with a homemade pie.