May 17, 2022 - News

Colorado Springs beats Boulder in "Best Place to Live" rankings

A pickup truck drives on a road near The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs. Photo: Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Move over, Boulder.

Driving the news: Colorado Springs is the top-ranked Colorado city in the national rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report, beating out the state capital and two college towns to land at No. 2.

  • Boulder (4th) dropped from its top spot last year.
  • Fort Collins (54th) and Denver (55th) landed back in the pack.
  • The Mile High City saw a significant drop from last year, when it ranked 14th.

Between the lines: These three cities dropped from their previous rankings for one big reason: air quality — a metric introduced this year. Multiple Colorado communities scored poorly due to wildfires.

Of note: Huntsville, Alabama, earned the title of the Best Place to Live. Its affordable housing and high quality of life earned it the top spot.

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