MELBOURNE, Fla. – Access to launches, beautiful waterways and a good mix of entertainment launches are just a few of the reasons Melbourne was named one of the best places to live in America in 2019.
U.S. News & World Report released its annual ranking on Tuesday, with Melbourne ranking No. 25 on the 125-city list. Sarasota, which came in at No. 18, was the only other Florida city to crack the top 25.
For perspective, here's how other Florida cities ranked:
35. Fort Myers
37. Pensacola
42. Jacksonville
56. Tampa
59. Lakeland
63. Orlando
99. Daytona Beach
113. Miami
Researchers at U.S. News & World Report evaluated each city based on five different indexes to determine the metro area's score. The indexes were a job market index, a value index, a quality of life index, a desirability index and a net migration index.
Each city received a score out of 10 for each index. Then those five numbers were used to determine an overall score, also out of 10.
Melbourne scored best with an 8.6 in the migration category, which measures whether people are moving to or away from a particular area. The metro also scored well in quality of life with a 7.4 and hovered right around 6 in the remaining indexes.
Orlando, by contrast, actually ranked slightly higher in migration and desirability but earned lower marks in the other categories.
The top five cities on the list -- Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fayetville, Arkansas; and Des Moines, Iowa -- all scored well in the most heavily weighted indexes, which were quality of life, value and job market.
To see the full ranking, which includes a breakdown for each city, click here.