Two Gulf Coast cities were named among the nation’s top places to live in a recent ranking by U.S. News & Report, underscoring continued growth in the region as tourism expands and newcomers move to communities along the I-10 corridor in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
The publication evaluated 250 cities nationwide, weighing factors such as housing affordability, job markets and overall quality of life, using public data and its own analysis. Measures of quality of life included education and healthcare, while desirability accounted for crime rates, weather and cultural amenities.
Pensacola, Florida and Daphne, Alabama made the U.S. News & World Report ranking. Both cities have long been popular among regional travelers, but they are now attracting visitors from across the country drawn, in part, by affordable lodging and less crowded shorelines…