Michigan Stadium

Top Notch

Awards & Accolades

See why Ann Arbor, a top sports town, is also considered one of the best college towns, one of Michigan's top cities, and one of the best places to live in the U.S.

2024

#1 U.S. City With The Best Quality Of Life, Forbes, 2024
One of the Nicest Places to Travel with Credit Card Rewards in the Midwest, Forbes, 2024
One of the Most Peaceful Places in America, Travel + Leisure, 2024
Top College Towns Where Good Life Meets Academia, RentCafe, 2024
One of the Most Peaceful Places to Live in the U.S. Insider Monkey, 2024
One of the Best Cities to Live in Michigan, World Atlas, 2024

2023

#1 Best Place to Live for Quality of Life in the U.S., U.S. News and World Report, 2023
#1 Best Place to Live in the U.S. StudyFinds, 2023
#1 Best Place to Live in Michigan, U.S. News and World Report, 2023
#1 Most Educated City in America, WalletHub, 2023
#1 Best Hippie Town in Michigan, Thrillist, 2023
#1 Home to the Best Deli in Michigan, loveFOOD, 2023
#2 Top Places to Live in the Midwest, Livability, 2023
#3 Most Beautiful College Campuses In The Midwest, The Travel, 2023
#8 Best City to Live in America, Niche.com, 2023
One of the Top 100 Places to Live in the U.S., Livibility, 2023
One of the Best College Towns in America, Travel + Leisure, 2023
Hidden Gems You Need To Visit in the United States, Pheabs, 2023
Best Solo Travel Destinations in the U.S. for an Unforgettable Adventure, Good Housekeeping 2023
Top American Staycation Destinations To Help Couples Re-ignite Their Spark, Divorce Bob, 2023
One of the Top Senior-Friendly Travel Spots in Michigan, A-Z Animals, 2023
Hyatt Ann Arbor Named one of the 10 Best Hotels for Retirees, The Travel, 2023


2022

#1 Best Place to Live for Families, Fortune, 2022
#1 Best College in America: The University of Michigan, Money Magazine, 2022
#1 Most Educated City in America, WalletHub, 2022
#1 Best City to Live in Michigan, HouseDigest, 2022
#1 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges, Best Accredited Colleges, 2022
#1 Best Hospital in Michigan, U.S. News & World Report, 2022
#2 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2022, Livibility, 2022
#4 College with Best Student Life in America, Niche, 2022
Top 10 Most Charming Towns In Michigan, World Atlas, 2022
Top Most Arts-Vibrant Communities of 2022, SMU Data Arts, 2022
Most Dog-Friendly Cities, Rocket Mortgage, 2022
Best Small Towns To Live In The United States, World Atlas, 2022
Best Cities to Live in America, Niche, 2022
One of the Best Places to Retire in the U.S., U.S. New and World Report, 2022
The 10 Best Cities For Book Lovers, Rent.com, 2022
Eastern Michigan University College of Business Named One of Nation's Best, The Princeton Review, 2022
Best Places to Live in the U.S., Money, 2022


2021

#1 Best College Town & City in America, WalletHub 2021
#1 Eastern Michigan University Named Number One Military and Veteran Friendly Higher Education Institution in Michigan, Military Friendly, 2021
#1 Most Educated City in America, WalletHub, 2021
#1 Best Places to Live in Michigan, U.S. News and World Report, 2021
#1 University of Michigan the Best School in the State of Michigan, Wallethub, 2021
Best Weekend Getaway in the Midwest, U.S. News and World Report, 2021
Most Charming Small Cities in the USA, TravelMag, 2021
Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Towns, PETA, 2021
Best College Towns in the U.S., Parade, 2021
Best College Towns in America, Pure Wow, 2021
Top Public Universities in America, Niche.com, 2021
Top 5 Most Connected College Towns in the U.S., All Connect, 2021
Top Swankiest College Campuses, BuzzFeed, 2021
10 Best Places to Live if You Work From Home, MONEY, 2021
One of the Top Best Place to Live in America, Livibility, 2021
Best Cities to Live in America, Niche.com, 2021
One of the Best Little Cities to Live in the U.S., MarketWatch, 2021
11 Best Cities to Retire in the U.S. in 2021, Travel & Leisure, 2021
One of the Best Places to Retire in the U.S., U.S. News and World Report, 2021
Top Tier Bicycle Friendly Cities in the United States, League of American Bicyclists, 2021


2020

Top 8 Up-and-Coming Small Cities Close to Major Metros, Livibility, 2020
America's Top 10 Best Small Cities, Best Cities, 2020
#1 Most Educated City in America, WalletHub, 2020
#1 Top Public University in America, Niche, 2020
#2 Top 100 Places to Live, Livibility, 2020
America's Best New Bikeways of 2020, People for Bikes, 2020


2019

Ann Arbor is the #1 Location for Family Vacations, Vacation Idea, 2019
University of Michigan Named 2018-2019 Best in College Sports, CBS Sports, 2019
#1 Top Public Universities in America, Niche, 2019
One of the Best College Towns & Cities in America, WalletHub, 2019
Ann Arbor is One of the Top Unexpectedly Awesome Coffee Cities, Livibility, 2019
Ann Arbor is Living Lab for City Mobility, Medium, 2019
Ann Arbor is One of the Top Startup Cities in the Midwest, ChicagoInno, 2019
Ann Arbor is One of the Top US Tech Hubs, Bloomberg, 2019
#1 Most Educated City in America, WalletHub, 2019
Ypsilanti Receives Smart 50 Award for Innovation, Smart & Resilient Cities, 2019
One of the Top Tech Hubs in America, Bloomberg, 2019
Ann Arbor is One of Top 5 Car-Free Small Metros, City Lab, 2019
One of the Most Innovative Metro Areas in the U.S., Verizon, 2019
Ann Arbor is One of Top Cities for Older Americans in Retirement, USA Today, 2019
One of the Best Cities to Live in America, Niche, 2019
One of the Top 25 Happiest Cities in America, Forbes, 2019
One of the Best Christmas Towns in the USA, Country Living, 2019


2018

One of the Most Innovative Cities in America, 24/7 Wall St, 2018
Best Places to Live in America, MONEY, 2018
Ypsilanti's East Cross Street named one of America's "Great Places," American Planning Association, 2018
#1 Eastern Michigan University Recognized As Michigan’s Top LGBTQ-Friendly University, AffordableCollegesOnline, 2018
Ypsilanti is One of the Most Affordable Destinations in America, Budget Travel, 2018
One of the Best College Towns in America, WalletHub, 2018
#1 Most Educated City in America, WalletHub, 2018
#1 University of Michigan the Top Public University in U.S., All About Ann Arbor, 2018
Cities With The Best Coffee in the United States, National Geographic, 2018
#1 Top 100 Best Places To Live, Livability.com, 2018
#2 Top 10 Best Places to Raise a Family, Livability.com, 2018
Washtenaw County Businesses Among Fastest Growing in America, Inc.com, 2018


2017

#1 Ann Arbor: The Most Welcoming City for Active Daters in Michigan, DatingAdvice.com, 2017
#1 2018's Best College Towns and Cities in America, WalletHub, 2017
#1 Best Cities to Live in America, Niche.com, 2017
#1 Most Educated Cities in America, WalletHub, 2017
Top 25 Happiest Cities in the United States., National Geographic, 2017
#1 Best Mid-Sized Cities to Visit, RewardExpert, 2017
The 10 Best Cities for Millennials In 2017., Forbes, 2017
The 20 Happiest Cities to Work In Right Now, Forbes, 2017
Top 10 US Destinations for Solo Travel in 2017, FlipKey from TripAdvisor, 2017
The Top 10 Best US Cities for Entrepreneurs, CITI.IO, 2017
The 19 Most Beautiful Libraries in the U.S., Curbed, 2017


2016

#1 The 10 Most Walkable Neighborhoods in the Midwest (Mid-Size City Edition), Redfin.com, 2016
Expert Poll: Ranking the Best Towns in College Football, Athlon Sports & Life, 2016
The 15 U.S. Towns Most Worthy of a Day Trip, Esquire, 2016
The Most Iconic Restaurant in Every Single U.S. State, PureWow, 2016


2015

25 Best Small Town Honeymoon Destinations, VacationIdea.com, 2015
#2 The 50 Best College Towns In America., Best College Reviews, 2015
Top 100 Best Places to Live, Livability 2015
2015's Best & Worst Cities for Sports Fans, WalletHub, 2015