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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 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