Story at a glance
The happiest place to live in the United States is Reno, Nev., according to a new ranking from Outside Magazine.
Researchers at the travel, sports and fitness magazine compared U.S. cities across five different metrics, including overall well-being and inclusivity to come up with their list of happiest places to live.
“Once known for gambling and easy divorces, Reno is now a modern boomtown,” the magazine wrote.
Reno is home to a whitewater park, multiple climbing gyms, a monthlong summer arts festival, craft breweries and urban art installations “handed down” from Burning Man, a weeklong public art event in the state’s Black Rock Desert, according to the outlet.
“Reno has changed so much,” Reno resident Sara Holm, director of studies and diversity at the Lake Tahoe School, told Outside. “You can run through a county park with sheep grazing, go backcountry skiing, or see a touring Broadway play.”
Outside touted Reno’s “relatively affordable cost of living” in its ranking, but things like housing, gas and groceries have become more expensive in recent years.
Now, the median home price in the city is $550,000 and the median rent is $1,531 a month, according to Outside.
But Reno isn’t perfect: Outside notes that The Biggest Little City in the World has some room for improvement.
“If it’s a bad wildfire season in the region, summer months can be smoky,” wrote Megan Michelson, an Outside researcher involved in the ranking.
“The Washoe County Health District’s Air Quality Management Division works with community partners to offer clean-air solutions and education for residents to improve their quality of life.”