For several decades, Florida has been known as America’s top family vacation destination, but recent surveys and polls have elevated sections of Orlando and Tampa to be featured among the best places to live in the nation.
The latest example can be found from Niche, a company that specializes in academic and demographic analysis, recently ranked Uptown Tampa #4, Hyde Park / Spanish Creek in Tampa #6, and Orlando’s Audubon Park neighborhood #22 in the nation in its “Best Places to Live in America” rankings for 2024.
Uptown Tampa was received high marks for local schools and the moderate political atmosphere in an urban setting. Hyde Park also received praise for its schools but also offering of shopping, food and parks.
“Living in Hyde Park – Spanishtown Creek offers residents an urban feel and most residents rent their homes, Niche said. In Hyde Park – Spanishtown Creek there are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many young professionals live in Hyde Park – The public schools in Hyde Park – Spanishtown Creek are highly rated.”
Audubon Park is located just south of Winter Park, next to Leu Gardens. It also neighbors Orlando’s wealthiest zip code of Baldwin Park, which was built over a former NAVY Reserve training base. Uptown Tampa isn’t as well-defined as Audubon Park, but it ranked #4 overall.
“Audubon Park is a neighborhood in Orlando, Florida with a population of 3,658,” Niche said. “Audubon Park is in Orange County and is one of the best places to live in Florida. Living in Audubon Park offers residents a sparse urban feel and most residents own their homes. In Audubon Park there are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many families and young professionals live in Audubon Park and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Audubon Park are highly rated.”
“Choosing where to live is no small task,” said Luke Skurman, CEO and founder of Niche. “For 10 years now, our Best Places to Live rankings have served as a compass for navigating these tough choices. We know that people consider far more than just affordability when deciding where to call home, from neighborhood diversity and weather conditions to career opportunities and the quality of the schools. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula. Our rankings have always aspired to give families, homebuyers, professionals and retirees the data and insights they need to reliably and confidently discover their next place to live.”
2024 Best Places to Live in America:
- Colonial Village, VA
- Carmel, IN
- Chesterbrook, PA
- Uptown Tampa, FL
- Cinco Ranch, TX
Niche creates the annual Best Places to Live rankings by using data from sources such as the U.S. Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics and CDC combined with millions of resident reviews. The company considers factors such as affordability, the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, area public schools, walkability and more. In addition to the national rankings, users can view the Best Places or Suburbs to Live rankings by state, metro area or county. Specialized lists include Best for Families, Young Professionals, Homebuyers, Retirees and more. Additionally, users now have access to a localized, best-in-class home search experience directly within Niche rankings thanks to a partnership with Homes.com.
