Local residents have something to cheer about as the recently released 2015 Best Places to Live rankings by Niche places the Tampa Bay area on five of the website’s top lists.
Niche, which uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau as well as data taken from residents, measures factors such as livability, local schools, safety, jobs and housing in cities across the country.
“We collect our data from the U.S. Census and National Center for Education Statistics, which helps us define and classify cities and towns", says Alex Caffee, business and marketing analyst. “We also get survey data from our users who log onto our site and give feedback on their community, which also makes up part of our data set.”
So how did the Tampa Bay area measure up?
- Oldsmar came in #11 on the list’s ‘best suburb to buy a house in Florida’
- South Highpoint (#1) and Bradenton Beach (#3) for ‘suburbs with the easiest commute in Florida’
- South Highpoint came in at #51 on the national list of ‘easiest commutes in America’
- Oldsmar wins again with its #14 ranking for ‘best suburb to raise a family in Florida’
- Hillsborough County takes the honor for its #10 ranking for ‘best counties to raise a family in Florida’
The site asks members to assess their communities by answering questions on topics ranging from crime rates and school ratings to grocery stores and libraries.
“Niche.com helps people decide where they are going to go next in life,” Caffee says. “We want to help individuals and families decide where they want to live, and assist them with that decision by giving them the data.”
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