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The following is a list of recognitions Raleigh has received throughout the years.
You can also find more about what makes Raleigh such a great place to live, work and especially play, in the Local's Guide curated by the City and Visit Raleigh.
2021
Raleigh and Durham collectively rank #2 Best Place to Live - U.S. News & World Report, July
Raleigh ranked as the 11th best-run city in America - WalletHub, June
Raleigh tops list of best places to retire early - Triangle Business Journal, May
Raleigh makes list of best cities to start a career - WalletHub, May
Raleigh earned the "Leading the Way Award" for being ranked in the top 10% of local governments in the U.S. with regard to resident satisfaction with government services and customer service - ETC Institute, April
Raleigh ranks 7th best city for STEM workers - WalletHub, February
Raleigh’s economy is the 5th best-performing in the United States - Milken Institute, February
Raleigh ranks 3rd in Best State Capitals - WalletHub, January
Raleigh ranks 1st on a list of places that provide the best opportunities for shared living arrangements, earning it the distinction of being named “roommate capital” of the country - StorageCafé, January
Raleigh ranks 3rd in Happiest Cities in America poll - Men's Health, January
Raleigh ranks 3rd in U.S. for Cheap Cities Seeing Relocation Boom amid COVID-19 Pandemic - 24/7 Wall Street, January
2020
Raleigh-Durham ranks 5th in the nation for the life sciences industry - CBRE
Raleigh ranks among the Best Tech Towns - CompTIA
Raleigh named one of the Safest Cities in America - WalletHub
Raleigh ranks among Most Affordable Cities for Early Retirees - SmartAsset
Raleigh ranks among Best Places to Retire - Forbes
Raleigh ranks 15th Most Pet-Friendly City - WalletHub
Raleigh ranks in top 10 Most Recession-Resistant Cities - SmartAsset
Raleigh named one of the best state capitals to call home - Wallet Hub
Raleigh ranks in 10 Best Cities in the U.S. to Move to Right Now - Curbed
Raleigh ranks second on Numbeo’s Quality of Life Index for 2020 - Numbeo
Raleigh one of The Best Places to Raise a Family on a Budget - The Motley Fool
Raleigh ranks among Top 10 Metros for Millennials Who Want to Relocate - Commercial Cafe
Raleigh ranks as Third Best City for Millennials to Relocate - INDYWeek
Raleigh ranks among Top 10 Best Cities to Work from Home - SmartAsset
Raleigh among ‘most livable’ up-and-coming markets for tech jobs - Zillow
2019
Raleigh is the 2019 Best City to Drive In - wallethub.com, September
Raleigh ranks 2019's 11th Best Big Cities to Live In - wallethub.com, July
Raleigh ranks 2nd in 2019 Top 100 Best Places to Live - livability.com, May
Raleigh ranks 3rd Best in Quality of Life in the World - NUMBEO, March
Raleigh is 2nd in Most Family-Friendly Cities poll - Homes.com, February
2018
Raleigh 4th Fastest City for Internet Speeds in U.S. - WRAL Tech Wire, December
Raleigh is #2 in The 10 Best Big Cities to Live in Right Now - Money, November
Raleigh is home to NCSU, a Top School for Entrepreneurship Studies for 2019 - The Princeton Review, November
Raleigh is one of Eight of America’s Most Digitally Inclusive Tech Cities - Brookings, November
Raleigh ranks #2 on latest Forbes List for Businesses and Careers - News and Observer, November
Raleigh Takes the Top Spot On a List of the 100 "Best Cities to Drive in" - WalletHub, July
Raleigh came in First in a Survey of 2,000 GeekWire.com Readers as a Place Tech Industry Staffers Would Like to Live - Geekwire poll, July
Raleigh listed in Top 10 Best Cities for New Grads Starting Out - MarketWatch, May
Raleigh ranks 3rd Best in Quality of Life in the World - NUMBEO, March
Raleigh Among the Best Places to Go in April - Town & Country Magazine, February
Raleigh is No. 6 in a List of Top 20 State Capitals to Live In - WalletHub’s study, February
Raleigh is 1 of 10 Cities Primed for Economic Growth & Opportunity in 2018 - CardRates.com, February
Raleigh Ranks #5 for Best Metros for Dating 2018 - ApartmentList, February
Raleigh & Durham, North Carolina is Ranked #13 in Best Places to Live - U.S. News & World Report, February
Raleigh & Durham, North Carolina is Ranked #17 in Best Places to Retire - U.S. News & World Report, February
Raleigh Listed in the 10 Coolest Places to Eat in 2018 - Forbes, January
2017
Raleigh Ranked as #2 Best Performing City in 2017 - December, 2017
Raleigh Ranks First in "Best Tasting Water in the State Contest - Annual NC AWWA-WEA Conference, November 2017
Raleigh in Top 10 Best Cities in America to Live - 24/7 Wall St., November 2017
Raleigh is #2 Most Educated City in the Country - Forbes, October 2017
Raleigh in the Top 5 Cities for Jobs in the U.S. - Glassdoor, September 2017
Raleigh is #3 Sportiest City - Men's Health, September 2017
Raleigh is 1 of 10 Best Cities For Startups You’ll Want to Be Based In - Hubstaff, August 2017
Raleigh is Among Best Budget Destinations in America, Part III: The South - Budget Travel, July 2017
Raleigh is #10 Among 100 Best Cities to Drive In, WalletHub July 2017
Raleigh is #6 Among 100 Most Adventurous Cities in America - Men's Health, June 2017
MIT's International Center for Aviation calls Raleigh's RDU International Airport Best Connected Medium Sized Airport - News & Observer, May 2017
Raleigh is #14 Fastest Growing Metro in U.S. - U.S. Census Bureau, March 2017
Raleigh Ranked #8 in Best Cities for Veteran Homebuyers to Live - Veterans United Network, March 2017
Raleigh ranks 2nd Best in Quality of Life in the World - NUMBEO, March 2017
Raleigh Ties for #7 in Best Places to Work for Veterans - Veterans United Network, March 2017
Carolina Publishing Associates Names North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh #1 Among 2016 Top N.C. Tourist Attractions - WRAL, March 2017
Carolina Publishing Associates Names North Carolina Museum of Art #9 Among 2016 Top N.C. Tourist Attractions - WRAL, March 2017
Carolina Publishing Associates Names Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh #6 Among 2016 Top N.C. Tourist Attractions - WRAL, March 2017
Carolina Publishing Associates Names North Carolina Museum of History #8 Among 2016 Top N.C. Tourist Attractions - WRAL, March 2017
Raleigh's Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern Receives 2017 Four-Diamond Restaurant Award - AAA, January 2017
Raleigh's Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel Receives 2017 Four-Diamond Hotel Award - AAA, January 2017
Raleigh is #22 Among Most Caring Cities in America - WalletHub, January 2017
Raleigh Among Top 10 Boomtowns of 2016 - SmartAsset, January 2017
Raleigh Among 12 Top Destinations of 2017 - Forbes Travel Guide, January 2017