Roswell, Athens, and Augusta just landed spots on Livability.com’s 2025 Top 100 Best Places to Live list, proving you don’t need big city prices to enjoy small town charm.
🏆 What We Know: Livability.com released its 12th annual ranking of America’s most livable small to mid-sized cities on April 16. The list analyzed over 2,000 cities with populations between 75,000 and 500,000. Roswell dominated in the economy category, actually scoring highest among all 100 cities. Athens and Augusta both shined in environment, transportation, housing, and cost of living metrics.
💰 Why It Matters: While the rest of America debates whether to eat or pay rent this month, these Georgia gems offer something increasingly rare – affordability that doesn’t require sacrificing quality of life. The ranking specifically weights affordability equally with other livability factors, a refreshing departure from lists that celebrate cities where only tech bros and trust fund babies can afford to live.
🔮 What’s Next: Curious residents can visit Livability.com to explore the complete rankings and use interactive tools to customize the list based on personal priorities – whether that’s job opportunities, healthcare access, or cultural amenities.
Which City Do You Like Better?
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
