There are plenty of reasons to have Georgia on your mind, including its stunning Blue Ridge mountains in the north and beautiful beaches to the east. You can root for top-rated college sports teams and watch world-renowned tournaments. In short, the Peach State offers much more than fruit. But before you start calling moving companies, learn which Georgia cities are the best places to call home.
The USA TODAY Homefront research team ranked 32 cities in Georgia across 16 metrics to determine the best Georgia cities. Kennesaw, a city just northwest of Atlanta, took the top spot, followed by Evans, an Augusta suburb. Meanwhile, popular hotspots such as Atlanta and Savannah didn’t even make the top 10. Learn more about the top cities and how the rest of the state stacks up.
Key findings
Georgia’s population grew by 2.9% from 2020 to 2023, hitting a key milestone of 11 million last year.
Kennesaw is the best city to move to in Georgia, offering a variety of restaurants, quality medical access and low unemployment.
Atlanta and Savannah ranked low mainly due to higher costs of living and high housing costs compared to the rest of the state.
The worst cities have a high cost of living and typical home values are four to seven times higher than median household incomes; a home in Milton is more than $920,000 — over six times the median income.
Why are people moving to Georgia?
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that Georgia’s population increased by over 315,000 residents between 2020 and 2023, leading to a record 11 million population in 2023. In fact, Georgia ranked fourth in the state rankings for largest numeric growth between 2022 and 2023. It is behind fellow southern states North Carolina, Florida and Texas.
Georgia has the 10th-lowest total tax burden of the 50 states per 2022 data and recently lowered personal income and business income tax rates. Additionally, Georgia has the ninth most-favorable corporate tax rate, and it broke state records in job growth and economic development from 2020 to 2023, cementing its reputation for strong financial opportunity.
Aside from considerable economic benefits, Georgia boasts a lively cultural and entertainment scene. It has renowned music venues such as the Fox Theatre and the 40 Watt Club. Atlanta has been dubbed the hip-hop and rap capital. For sports enthusiasts, Georgia is home to five professional teams and hosts a variety of national competitions, including The Masters Tournament, the SEC Football Championship Game and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
What are the best cities to move to in Georgia?
We compared 32 Georgia cities across 16 metrics that matter to people seeking a new city. These include livability metrics such as walkability, school quality, and the variety of dining and activities. We considered economic variables such as typical rents, housing affordability and unemployment rates. Health and safety factors, including crime rate and severe weather risks, also affected the rankings.
Kennesaw, Evans, Albany, Duluth and Valdosta ranked highest across all metrics. Specifically, these cities have crime rates below the state’s and more favorable income-to-home affordability ratios compared to other Georgia cities.
Georgia’s larger cities, such as Atlanta (No. 23), Savannah (No. 27) and Augusta (No. 20), wound up in the middle of our ranking. While these cities excelled in entertainment metrics, their overall scores were negatively impacted by high unemployment rates and factors relating to affordability. For example, a house in Savannah is 5.9 times the median local income.
The majority of the bottom cities had high crime rates (with some, such as Douglasville and East Point, exceeding the state crime rate by more than double) and offered limited restaurant and activity options per capita. However, there were notable exceptions, such as Milton (No. 28), which has the fourth-lowest crime rate yet ranks poorly due to having the highest typical home value at over $921,000 — significantly higher than the state’s typical home value of roughly $335,00.
5. Valdosta
Referred to as the capital of South Georgia, Valdosta is a charming city complete with historic landmarks, a cultural arts district and Valdosta State University. Residents can enjoy restaurants that offer a modern take on Southern comfort food or pick fresh produce at u-pick farms. It’s also becoming quite the destination for golfers thanks to top-of-the-line courses and a mild climate.
The variety of activities available in Valdosta helped it take fifth place in our ranking. It helped that the city is the sixth-most affordable for renters, with typical rent just over $1,300 per month. Valdosta earns high marks for its high-quality schools, scoring a 9 out of 10 on NeighborhoodScout.
4. Duluth
Duluth is a city curated for business and family fun. The downtown Town Green serves as a hub for community and outdoor events, including the top-rated Duluth Fall Festival. Everything is easily accessible by interconnected sidewalks and bike paths, contributing to its ranking as the eighth-best Georgia city in our analysis for walkability.
Unlike many other Georgia cities, Duluth strikes a balance of activity and affordability. Located only 26 miles northeast of Atlanta, the No. 4 city combines the convenience of a major city with offering its own attractions, scoring second best for number of restaurants and fourth best for activities per capita among the cities we ranked. It also has the second-lowest rent-burdened residents in our study, with fewer than 43% spending over 30% of their income on rent. For context, 50% of Georgia residents face this challenge.
3. Albany
Albany may be farther from Georgia’s big cities, but this charming southern town has plenty of things to do. Explore beautiful trails, parks and waterways, including the Radium Springs Gardens and Lake Chehaw. Discover native and exotic animals at the Flint RiverQuarium or dive into American history at the Albany Civil Rights Institute.
What truly sets Albany apart is that it’s affordable, with typical rent hovering at $911 per month. Albany is the only city we observed with a typical rent below $1,000. For prospective homeowners, Albany has the lowest typical home value and scored second best in terms of price-to-income ratio, with typical home value nearly three times the median household income. Additionally, prices for goods and services in Albany are 14% lower than the national average, the lowest of all 32 cities analyzed.
2. Evans
Evans, a small city of roughly 37,400 residents, is often described as an affluent suburb of Augusta. Living within 10 miles of Georgia’s second-largest city certainly has its perks, such as access to major medical facilities and a regional airport. But Evans residents won’t have to leave city limits to find things to do. The city has access to the Savannah River, dining options and shopping plazas — it also hosts plenty of concerts and events at the 17-acre Evans Towne Center Park.
Evans scored highly for having the lowest crime rate of the 32 cities and one of the lowest unemployment rates (just 2.5%). Evans also has top-rated schools, rated 9 out of 10 by NeighborhoodScout, and it’s ranked third best for home affordability. The typical home value is over three times the median household income.
1. Kennesaw
The best Georgia city is Kennesaw, located roughly 27 miles northwest of Atlanta. This lively community combines big city amenities with Southern charm and history, featuring attractions such as the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, a Smithsonian affiliate.
The Atlanta metro city has made a name for itself. It’s home to Kennesaw State University, several breweries and distilleries, and annual festivals.
Our study identified Kennesaw as the best city in Georgia for several reasons. Notably, it has the best access to medical care providers, with nearly 24 providers per 1,000 residents. It also ranks fourth for number of restaurants and seventh for number of activities per capita. Kennesaw schools scored a 9 out of 10 by NeighborhoodScout, and the city’s low 2.6% unemployment rate is below the state 3.2% average. While Georgia has many great cities to move to, Kennesaw stands out as the top choice for planting roots.
Relocating to Georgia? Here’s what you need to know
Once you’ve chosen the best Georgia city for you, follow these tips to make your relocation as smooth as possible.
- Bring your car up to speed: Georgia is a car-dependent state, especially for those living outside of the Atlanta metro area. Visit Georgia.gov for information on registering your vehicle.
- Hire a moving company: Research the best interstate moving companies for a hassle-free move. We suggest requesting at least three quotes to ensure the best deal on movers.
- Find a job: Contribute to Georgia’s economy by securing a gig in the Peach State. The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) offers online resources to help in your job search. You can reach out to a GDOL Career Center for personalized staff support.
- Enroll your child in school: To meet district deadlines, look into school registration requirements early on in your relocation process. You can visit the state’s website for Georgia public school enrollment. For details on private schools or state schools for children with special needs, look to the Georgia Department of Education.
Best and worst cities in Georgia (full data)
Our methodology
The research team at USA TODAY Homefront ranked 32 cities in Georgia across 16 metrics to determine the best cities to live in. Cities have populations greater than 30,000 and complete data. For some metrics, data was only available at the county level. Cities were ranked on the following metrics:
- Walkability score from Walk Score
- School district ratings on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high) from NeighborhoodScout
- Number of restaurants from Tripadvisor per 1,000 residents
- Number of activities from Tripadvisor per 1,000 residents
- Estimated primary care providers per 1,000 residents from U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- County-level life expectancies from University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s County Health Rankings
- Severe weather events at the county level from 2019–2023 from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Number of violent and property crimes per 1,000 residents from NeighborhoodScout
- Expected annual loss from natural hazards from Federal Emergency Management Agency
- The ratio of home values for single-family homes, condos and co-ops to median household income from Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and the U.S. Census Bureau 2022 American Community Survey 5-year Estimate. Cities are scored based on how close this ratio is to what we define as the “ideal home value ratio” of 2.5 value to income.
- Typical rent for all home types using Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI)
- Percentage of renters who pay more than 30% of income to rent (“rent burdened”) from U.S. Census Bureau 2022 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates
- Q2 2024 annual homeowners insurance premiums from Quadrant
- Unemployment rates at the county level from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Regional price parity: Values are a percentage of the overall national price level (a lower value is better) from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Percentage of the population with a bachelor’s degree from U.S. Census Bureau 2022 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates
Data used from Quadrant is representative of publicly sourced data and should not be interpreted as bindable quotes.
Questions about our study? Please contact Homefront at press@homefront.usatoday.com.
Reference policy
We encourage journalists to share our findings on the best cities in Georgia. If you choose to do so, please link back to our original story and credit USA TODAY Homefront for the research.
