Columbia County Board of Commissioners and County Administration is excited to announce Evans, Georgia ranked #1 by Money as the Best Place to Live 2020-2021.

Money announced early Tuesday morning its annual ranking of the Best Places to Live featuring 50 towns and cities where the economy, job growth, and housing market remained strong despite COVID-19 disruptions. According to Money, they looked at towns and cities with a population of at least 25,000 and ranked the Best Places to Live putting the greatest emphasis on economic factors as well as supply and demand for homes, cost of living, quality of schools, racial and economic diversity and health and safety.

Money stated, “Money’s No. 1 pick for Best Places to Live this year is Evans, Georgia, which is brimming with good-paying jobs thanks to its proximity to Augusta as well as affordable homes, top schools, access to arts and culture, and a diverse population, which some residents attribute to its military presence. In June, Evans residents saw a low unemployment rate of 5.2%, which was well below the 11.1% national average. Evans also had the lowest cost of living of any place with similarly high-income levels. Parker, Colorado and Meridian, Idaho landed in second and third place, respectively. Both cities topped the list because of access to high paying jobs in the booming tech sector, a healthy economy, and remarkable proximity to nature and outdoor activities.”

“This year, given the general uncertainty around where and how we'll live, our list looks a little different,” said Prachi Bhardwaj, lead reporter of Money’s Best Places to Live. “We shifted our priorities to pay more attention to cities that aren't just doing well now, but that show great promise and stability for the next five to ten years. We also included suburban towns situated further away from major metros and have more industry diversity than you've seen from our list in years past.”

“This recognition is the result of many years of good leadership and decision making by citizens, staff, and elected officials. We are truly blessed to live in such an outstanding area,” said Chairman Doug Duncan.

For Money’s complete list of the Best Places to Live, click here. To learn more on the methodology of the ranking, click here.