Illinois cities are as diverse as they are many. There are all kinds of different places to live in the state with varying municipal cultures -- all the way from small, rural towns to the third-biggest city in the country. But out of all these options, which are really the best?
AreaVibes, a website that calculates a city's livability score using a "unique algorithm" that measures education, cost of living, crime, amenities, employment, housing and weather, ranked the top 100 cities to live in Illinois and we've listed the 25 best.
But are these really the best or most livable cities in Illinois? Perhaps, if you can afford to live in these towns, the majority of which have failing or below-average grades when it comes to cost of living.
While it's quite expensive to live in these cities - and impracticable for many families -- another common denominator is the sub-par weather, but then again, this is Illinois.
Here are the seven of the best Illinois cities to live in, according to AreaVibes.
25. Barrington (Pop: 10,739)
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
24. Highland (Pop: 9,434)
- Amenities: B+
- Cost of Living: A
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: C+
- Housing: C+
- Weather: C+
23. Trout Valley (Pop: 584)
- Amenities: B+
- Cost of Living: D
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A
- Weather: D+
22. Burr Ridge (Pop: 10,590)
- Amenities: A
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A+
- Housing: A+
- Weather: C
21. Northfield (Pop: 5,234)
- Amenities: A
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A+
- Employment: A
- Housing: A+
- Weather: D+
20. Glen Ellyn (Pop: 27,503)
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: A
- Housing: A
- Weather: D+
19. Elmhurst (Pop: 44,385)
- Amenities: A+
- Cost of Living: F
- Crime: A+
- Education: A
- Employment: A
- Housing: A
- Weather: D+
Check out Reboot Illinois to see a breakdown of 18 of the best-ranked cities in Illinois and a chart with all 100 cities.
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