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These are the best cities and places to live in Florida, according to Forbes

By Josh Frigerio
Published  December 29, 2022 5:08pm EST
Florida
FOX 35 Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. - There are a lot of reasons to call Florida home – miles of beaches and coastline, cruise ports, theme parks, mild winters, no state income tax, and an abundance of sunshine.

But, where to live – a small town or big city? Inland or along the coast? North Florida, Central Florida, or South Florida?

Forbes.com recently published its listing of the Best Places To Live in Florida in 2022.

"We analyzed cities by pulling recent data on key lifestyle factors such as the area’s median home price, personal income per capita, and the unemployment and crime rate," Forbes wrote in its report.

Here are the best places to live in Florida

  • 10: Pensacola
  • 9: Tallahassee
  • 8: Sarasota
  • 7: Melbourne
  • 6: Miami
  • 5: Orlando
  • 4: Cape Coral
  • 3: Gainesville
  • 2: Jacksonville
  • 1: Tampa

Three Central Florida cities made the list – Gainesville at #3, Orlando at #5, and Melbourne at #7. Jacksonville (#2) and Tampa (#1) took the top two spots.

For Orlando, Forbes wrote that it was "one of the best places in Florida for young adults," and cited the boom biotech, information technology, and healthcare sectors here. 

Melbourne was given shout-outs for being part of the Space Coast and near Kennedy Space Center, where NASA, SpaceX and others launch rockets from –  including the successful Artemis I Mission.

And Gainesville was highlighted for its low cost of limit, low crime rate, and low population, while being home to University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, and the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium. 

Forbes said it considered city size, crime rate, diversity, the unemployment rate, and cost of living when making its list, as well as "outdoor activities, public transit and healthcare access."

Visit Forbes.com to see a complete breakdown of its list.