Top 10 BEST State Capitals to Live in America for 2020

[Music] when most Americans think of the capital Washington DC probably comes to mind but where the United States consisting of 50 states which means 50 capitals well actually 55 capitals yeah that's right Porto Rico Guam Virgin Islands American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands I see you anyways for some reason people have recently been flocking to these places of government in fact over the last 20 years many state capitals have become some of the fastest-growing cities which is kind of surprising to me considering how people hate politicians and government in general so why the heck would they want to live smack dab in the middle of it well a lot of reasons so mainly because most state capitals aren't super big cities two-thirds of them aren't even the biggest city in their own state this usually means they have much more affordable cost of living and tons of opportunity for economic growth but while this list features some newly growing cities with booming economies there are also some more well-established capitals that have been amazing places to live from before the US even became a country so today we're gonna be ranking the best capital cities not based on politics but rather their economy safety cost of living schools amenities and quality of life of course though there are also some atrocious capitals whose best days are far behind them or far ahead but very far ahead so I'll tell you what let's hit 10,000 likes and I'll do a top 10 worst state capitals to live in lists featuring places like New Jersey almost choked there okay let's just do this number 10 Des Moines Iowa ah good old Des Moines home to the famous Iowa State Fair and to the game of thrive the presidential caucuses every four years considering that those are the two most notable things in the largest Iowan City it isn't very hard to see why this is a flyover state but if people thought economics were fun it sure wouldn't be because the economy is thriving the cost of doing business is 16% below the national average and the unemployment rate was just 3% before the world took a dump and the jobs here aren't just any old jobs either they're high-paying and collectively offer a median household income over 71,000 dollars add in an insanely low cost of living with a median home price of just 140 thousand dollars and Des Moines one of the best cities to live and save money but Iowa's capital isn't just the great place for work there are also a ton of fun amenities like the zoo museums shopping concerts dining parks pretty much everything you'd ever need in the city and with a pretty good public education system as well as some of the nicest residents you'll ever meet des moines also an excellent place to raise a family but if all the things to do and career opportunities aren't enough to keep you on your toes well the crime rate will because it's double the national average don't worry though you'll be safe for at least half the year when everyone hides inside trying to keep warm during the frigid winters those along with it not being the most exciting city are pretty much the only reasons the Moline isn't higher on this list number 9 Nashville Tennessee around a hundred new people moved to Nashville every day making it one of the fastest growing cities in the country and it's not hard to see why besides the most excellent barbecue and hot chicken there are also tons of amazing jobs with the unemployment rate at just 2.5 percent in March and a median household income of 66 thousand dollars which is 26 percent above the Tennessee average of just 52 thousand if you're looking for a career in healthcare tech finance higher education or of course the music industry Nashville is your spot housing is getting a bit pricey though with a median home cost of $285,000 but it's honestly a small price to pay for all the fun and excitement you can find here there's literally every type of music and nightlife you can think of with tons of hip neighborhoods and great restaurants and coffee shops and if city life isn't your thing there are also a bunch of hiking trails and adventures to be had in the beautiful surrounding nature the only problem is that getting to the fun might be a little difficult since the traffic has gotten awful in recent years and the tourists certainly don't make it any better speaking of which if you don't like screaming drunk girls on pedal taverns just know that Nashville has more bachelorette parties than any other city number eight Lincoln Nebraska Lincoln is the second largest city in Nebraska which actually isn't hard to do since it's also the only real city other than Omaha and yes I know Nebraska sounds just as boring as Iowa and okay it kind of is in a lot of ways but Lincoln is a college town which means besides for their 400-foot tall weird-looking capital building there are so many cool bars exceptional restaurants big-name concerts college football and an incredible local music scene when I lived in Omaha Lincoln was always the place to go for the real fun on the weekends even though the Big O is the bigger city and you'll get a much better bang for your buck here then you wouldn't say Nashville or most places really the median household income is right around the u.s. average at $60,000 but the average monthly cost of living is just one thousand two hundred ninety one dollars making it the second most affordable u.s. city statistically Lincoln is pretty much a perfect city across the board from the amazing public schools to the short commutes to the great work-life balance and overall quality of living it makes sense that the residents here are so dang nice since they're also just genuinely happy with life oh and did I mention it's extremely safe with tons of green spaces and bike trails but then again you're only really gonna use those for half the year because just like in Des Moines the winters here are brutal number seven Denver Colorado with so many sunny days a year that you might just end up with the weirdest ham line Denver is another one of the fastest growing cities and it's the first real big city on this list just since 2010 the population has already grown by over 20 percent and most of those newcomers are Millennials which explains why two-thirds of Denver's population is under the age of 44 but really it's a great place for people of any age obviously it's a nature lovers paradise between all the beautiful views and world-renowned mountain slopes just a short drive away but the city itself is also gorgeous and there are so many big-city amenities for professional sports teams in every major American sport - breathtaking concert venues arts and culture delicious food and some of the best micro breweries and coffee shops in the country enough with the fun though let's get down to business cuz Denver's one of the best cities to do business the economy here had been absolutely booming over the past few years with so many amazing job opportunities in tech aerospace healthcare finance bioscience and energy making the median household income a whopping eighty thousand dollars of course though the city isn't perfect while the high incomes might sound nice on paper home prices have been steadily rising to the current median home value of four hundred fifty five thousand dollars and with so many young professionals who also loved the outdoors moving here traffic has got an atrocious both towards and away from the city but at least there's decent public transportation and it's one of the most bike-friendly cities in the u.s. number six Salt Lake City Utah I know what you're thinking what how could Salt Lake City rank above Denver it's so much smaller and it's just a bunch of Mormons which means it must be boring well wrong and wrong Utah's capital is actually only 20% Mormon and it's rapidly progressing into an urban and hip cosmopolitan city yeah I said it there's a city in Utah that's actually fun Salt Lake City is brimming with hipster cafes artsy galleries fantastic food a great indie music scene and even NBA basketball and while Denver is a good 30 to 45 minute drive away from the mountains Salt Lake City is literally right next to them and there's a lot less traffic needless to say Utah's capital is pretty underrated but not for long because more and more people have been moving here since it's cheaper than Denver offers just as many if not more outdoor recreational opportunities is less crowded and the economy is thriving or well at least it was before 2020 started thinking between the startup tech sector and jobs in manufacturing real estate health care finance and mining the median household income is nearly 74 thousand dollars which makes the average rent of $1500 a month for a two-bedroom apartment not terrible especially when you got views like this in your backyard look at the median home price of four hundred and thirteen thousand dollars is a little steep and the crime rate is 168 percent above the national average so be careful number five Madison Wisconsin now we're getting into the truly elite capitals the picturesque city of Madison sits on an isthmus between two beautiful lakes with gorgeous views of the surrounding forests in every direction that being said I gotta emphasize that Wisconsin is in the Midwest and thus mind-numbingly frostbite your fingernails off cold when it's not cold enough to make buggers freeze in your nose Madison's one of the most bikable and eco-friendly cities in the country featuring more bikes than cars actually and despite the frigid winters everyone still loves living here there's a reason it's one of the top three happiest US cities the schools are phenomenal there's tons of amazing restaurants and breweries and it's incredibly family friendly with kind people fun community events and more green spaces and parks per capita than any other city but it's also a college town so there's great nightlife too and not just the normal get wasted every night nightlife more like giant block parties where the entire city gets involved and everyone's just genuinely committed to being weird and having a good time in the most random yet fun ways and unlike some of the other cities on this list Madison's actually really safe and it's pretty affordable I mean the median home value is 283 thousand dollars but there are also so many excellent job opportunities with a median household income over 71 thousand dollars and an unemployment rate at just 2.3 percent before the economy shut down although if you are planning on moving here I do it soon because Madison was among the top three most searched for small cities to move to during this entire pandemic so home prices are sure to rise number four Boise Idaho speaking of those top three most searched for small cities voice EES another one of them and the real estate market is hot Idaho's capital actually has an annual growth rate of nearly 3 percent with around 20,000 new residents moving to the metro area each year and it makes sense the city of trees is one of the safest cities in the country and the surrounding nature is some of the most beautiful from the desert plateaus to the rivers to the nearby sawtooth mountain sand dunes and gorges there are so many amazing outdoor activities and the residents make the most of it on any given day you'll find them hitting the slopes trails lakes or floating down the Boise River before relaxing at one of the many bars restaurants or coffee shops in the thriving downtown speaking of the downtown it's actually one of the best downtown's of any size it's incredibly clean and walkable and there's always something going on in literally every nook and cranny in fact most of the cities like that the community is so involved and does absolute most they can to make it truly feel like Idaho the only real negative I can think of is that wages having quite kept up with the cost of living with a median home price of three hundred and forty thousand dollars while the median household income is still just sixty one thousand five hundred dollars but hey at least it's still a lot cheaper than most Western cities and the economy's growing rapidly so wages should hopefully catch up soon number three Boston Massachusetts ah good old Beantown the oldest remaining state capital since 1630 Boston has stood as a symbol of American Progress and freedom to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness like literally the city's pretty much seen our country go from just a few rebellious colonies to the superpower it is today but despite being a living history book Massachusetts is capital has also grown into a giant urban metropolis and thus with a big city come big city problems like the worst traffic in the nation and an insanely high cost of living with the average home price being six hundred thirty four thousand dollars but considering Boston's also got one of the best economies with a median household income of nearly ninety thousand dollars it's not too bad and it's definitely worth the price to live in one of the most major cultural hubs of America there are so many hip and walkable neighborhoods to explore each with their own distinct charm from Beacon Hill to North End to Back Bay Charleston and Chinatown not to mention the world-class museums shows concerts restaurants bars arts and elite universities and it's arguably the best sports city in this country throw in some of the best public schools in the suburbs extremely low crime for a major city and the breathtaking surrounding nature and Boston's pretty much got it all if only it weren't so darn expensive number two Raleigh North Carolina just like Boston Raleigh's also got a booming economy low crime rates and gorgeous parks but the median home cost is nearly three hundred and fifty thousand dollars less than in Beantown yeah for just 285 K the average Raleigh home could be yours and considering the median household income is an astounding seventy-five thousand dollars let's just say this is one of the best bang for your buck cities between biotech high Tech's startups in all the fortune 500 companies based here Raleigh ranked number two on Forbes list of the best places for business and careers in 2019 in North Carolina's capital isn't just good for your career it's good for your education to the public schools are great and between NC State Duke and UNC in the metro area so are the universities and you don't have to worry about getting bored either because there are tons of fun museums trails restaurants concerts college sports and even an NHL team whether you're a young professional raising a family or just looking for a safe small city to retire in Raleigh is the perfect place to settle down now before we get to number 1 make sure you leave a like and subscribe and I've got to give a quick honorable mention to the beautiful tropical tranquil island capital of Honolulu Hawaii which easily could have made the top 5 if it weren't so dang expensive the stress free vibes here make for the highest life expectancy in the US and Hawaiians also enjoy an extremely high quality of life personally I think these should be the highest metrics for grading how great a place really is because of everyone in the cities happy and loves their community what else could you ask for but that's just my opinion anyways Honolulu Scott bustling city life breathtaking beaches lush rainforests waterfalls in every direction and the weather is always perfect too bad the price of a single-family home is almost a million bucks number one Austin Texas I just made a video on Austin saying it's practically the best city to live in America which by the way check that out if you haven't already and considering that it's also a Capitol were you really expecting anything else there's a reason the live music capital of the world has been the fastest growing city since 2010 sure it's not the most affordable place to live anymore but compared to Honolulu the median home price of just under 400 K is like a Black Friday sale throw in one of the best economies in the nation with a median household income of 77 thousand dollars and it's practically a steal between all the beautiful surrounding nature fun festivals live music and hip neighborhoods with tons of artsy cafes restaurants and bars there is so much to do here and 228 sunny days a year to enjoy it and with amazing schools in low crime on top of all that it isn't hard to see why Austin is the best state capitol to live in for 2020

Channel: From Here to There

Views: 172,535

Rating: 4.8778682 out of 5

Keywords: best states to live in, Top 10, best cities in america, where to live in America, best state capitals, worst cities to live in, best cities to move to, best cities to live in, california, worst states to live in, america, best states, best capital cities, boise, idaho, raleigh, des moines, boston, denver, colorado, madison, lincoln, nashville, tennessee, salt lake city, utah, austin, texas, oklahoma city, honolulu, hawaii, columbus, atlanta, best cities in the us, geography, worst states, usa, Travel

Id: 3BQpNluGVDE

Length: 15min 41sec (941 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 21 2020