These Are The South's Best Cities to Live in 2018

Georgetown, Texas
Photo: Rudy Ximenez / Visit Georgetown

There's no place quite like a Southern city, where vibrant food scenes, ample entertainment options, and dreamy downtowns are made even better because they happily cohabitate with old-school Southern signatures, like friendly neighbors and gracious charm. With so many beautiful cities across our region, ranging from spirited college hubs to storied music meccas, we couldn't possibly play favorites, so we left the hard work of crafting the "Best Cities to Live" shortlist to all of you. And you delivered, pointing us to the best cities to live in across the South—those pretty, pleasant places that y'all call home, or at least dream of one day calling home. From lively foodie favorites to quieter gems with plenty of outdoor activities, these 17 Southern cities are the kinds of places you'll want to put down roots, build that house with the white picket fence, and stay for a lifetime. Who's ready to move?

01 of 16

See The Winners

02 of 16

1. Georgetown, Texas

Georgetown, Texas
Rudy Ximenez / Visit Georgetown
03 of 16

2. Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston Homes
Christopher Shane
04 of 16

3. Greenville, South Carolina

Downtown Greenville, SC
Denis Jr. Tangeny/Getty Images
05 of 16

4. Alpharetta, Georgia

Alpharetta, Georgia
experienceavalon.com
06 of 16

5. Fayetteville, Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas
Getty Images
07 of 16

6. Asheville, North Carolina

Downtown Asheville, NC
Lissa Gotwals
08 of 16

7. Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota, Florida
Don Klumpp/Getty Images
09 of 16

8. Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill, NC
Danita Delimont/Getty Images
10 of 16

9. Roswell, Georgia

Roswell, Georgia
Getty Images
11 of 16

10. Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky
Henryk Sadura/Getty Images
12 of 16

11. Austin, Texas

Aerial View of Capitol Building Austin, TX
dszc/Getty Images
13 of 16

12. Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington, NC
Walter Bibikow/Getty Images
14 of 16

13. Frisco, Texas

Frisco, Texas
Roger Robinson/visitfrisco.com
15 of 16

14. Nashville, Tennessee

Johnny Cash Mural in Nashville
Robbie Caponetto
16 of 16

15. Summerville, South Carolina

Summerville, South Carolina
Facebook/Visit Summerville
Was this page helpful?
Related Articles