HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Huntsville has topped the U.S. News and World Report list of best places to live for families.

Metro areas that make the list ‘meet the most important criteria for families looking to relocate,’ according to the publication. U.S. News & World Report said they make the list to help families “find the right metro area for raising their kids.”

The 2023-24 list takes into consideration several factors as it ranks the best metro areas for raising kids. Some of those factors include the cost of living and average annual salary – along with the quality of high school education, average commute time, crime rate, and more.

It notes that Huntsville’s median annual salary is above the national average, and the Rocket City has a relatively low risk of extreme weather, as well as high resilience. Huntsville was also the only city from Alabama in the top 25.

In May, the publication ranked Huntsville among the top 3 best places to live in the United States for a third year in a row. Huntsville placed second out of 150 metros.

In 2022, Huntsville rose to no. 1 from its previous third position due to the City’s strong housing affordability and high quality of life.

U.S. News & World Report also mentioned Huntsville is a fast-growing city, surpassing Birmingham as the most populous city in the state, and is home to space, high-tech and defense sectors that bring in people from around the country and the world. Huntsville is also one of the more diverse communities out of the similarly sized metro areas in the Deep South, according to the report.

You can click here to see the full top 25 best places to live for families.