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Honky-tonk and cowboy boots are not the only things that keep Tennessee kickin' up their heels, the Volunteer State has some of the best places to live East of the Mighty Mississippi.
Heck, there's a reason Justin Timberlake bought a home in Franklin, Nicole Kidman took up residence in Nashville, and that Tennessee is always inviting you to "take a walk in Memphis." North, South, East, or West Tennessee, there's a Tennessee city for everyone. Dollywood in Pigeon Forge and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga are just a few of Tennessee's great cities where you can live, work, and play.
However, to make our top ten best places to live in Tennessee for 2019 list, our super star places really had to bring their A-game. The top ten best cities on our list average some of the highest household incomes and boasts some of the most expensive homes. These cities also have some of the most educated residents and safety is a priority.
Want to know what cities crushed the competition? Grab some Tennessee BBQ, crank some Elvis, find a sunny spot in Graceland and read on as we uncover where you should call home in Tennessee.
Here are the 10 best places to live in Tennessee for 2019:
- Germantown (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Brentwood (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Signal Mountain (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Collierville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Spring Hill (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Franklin (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Collegedale (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Nolensville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Bartlett (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Mount Juliet (Photos | Homes For Sale)
What does the best place to live in the birthplace of country music look like? Drum roll... The best place to live in Tennessee for 2019 is Germantown.
We are not at all surprised. Germantown is beautiful, quaint, safe, and bursting at the seams with great people.
The competition was fierce to say the least. To see Tennessee's other best of the best cities, take a look below. And if you don't find it there, head to the bottom.
If you're looking for something more national, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In Tennessee
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Tennessee
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Tennessee
The 10 Best Places To Live In Tennessee For 2019
/10
Population: 39,213
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $296,300 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (8th best)
More on Germantown: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The crime rate is much lower here than in the rest of Tennessee, as there were only 46 violent crimes in the city limits last year. The unemployment rate is the 8th lowest in Tennessee (3.7%), and the public schools are ranked 3rd in the state in terms of spending per student.
Additionally, homes are the 6th most expensive in Germantown ($296,300), meaning a lot of people want to live there.
Plus, the residents earn a really great salary: $107,376 a year.
/10
Population: 40,873
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $555,800 (1st best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.8% (2nd best)
More on Brentwood: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Things can't get much better than in the town of Brentwood. The crime is the 4th lowest in the entire state, and the residents who live in Brentwood make huge salaries, and almost all of them have great jobs.
The median home costs a cool $555,800 and households make $148,340 which is good for 1st in Tennessee.
/10
Population: 8,500
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $325,900 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (14th best)
More on Signal Mountain: Real Estate | Data | Photos
It's obvious why Signal Mountain ranks 3rd in the state for best places to live: they have the 14th lowest unemployment rate and the 5th highest home values.
Plus, they're known for their quality education and relatively low crime, making Signal Mountain a great place to live.
/10
Population: 48,005
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $278,600 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (10th best)
More on Collierville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Collierville is known for having a great education system and has the 67th shortest commute time.
Additionally, the unemployment rate in Collierville is the 10th lowest in Tennessee and the median income is the 2nd highest in the state.
/10
Population: 34,364
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $225,800 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.6% (6th best)
More on Spring Hill: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The crime is the 6th lowest in the state in Spring Hill, and there were only 72 violent crimes in the entire city last year. We think it's even safer here than the numbers indicate.
The schools are some of the best in Tennessee, and residents live in very expensive homes. They also earn more than most every other city in the state. Residents in Spring Hill earn $78,525 a year.
/10
Population: 70,625
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $342,900 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (13th best)
More on Franklin: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Franklin is a short drive from everything, but who would want to leave the 6th best place in Tennessee?
Homes are priced around $342,900 and residents have the 60th shortest commute in Tennessee.
/10
Population: 10,438
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 3)
Median Home Value: $194,400 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (10th best)
More on Collegedale: Real Estate | Data | Photos
If you don't have a job in Collegedale, you're most likely not trying very hard. The unemployment rate here is almost as low as you can get -- 3.8%. In fact, there are probably enough butler and landscaping jobs available here to put every single unemployed resident to work, what with a median income of $52,165.
That's actually not a bad idea...
/10
Population: 6,724
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $341,400 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.0% (4th best)
More on Nolensville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Nolensville has a strong showing in our best places to live in Tennessee analysis, coming it at 8th best.
It ranks highly like many others in the top ten for a low unemployment rate and high adjusted median income. It scored extra points relative to the top ten for its size and things to do.
If you're thinking of moving to Tennessee, Nolensville is a great option.
/10
Population: 58,318
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $171,300 (22nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (17th best)
More on Bartlett: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Bartlett isn't just the nicest place to live in Tennessee - it's also the one of the fastest growing places in the state. And with good reason.
It's got the 17th lowest unemployment rate, the 11th highest adjusted income, and rates above most places in education.
When you're looking at science and data, Bartlett definitely deserves a spot on the list for 2019.
/10
Population: 29,853
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $223,800 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (12th best)
More on Mount Juliet: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Crime is something that doesn't happen very often in Mount Juliet. Statistically the 21st safest place in the state, there were only 54 violent crimes in the entire city last year.
It's really beautiful in Mount Juliet, and new homes continue to replace older homes. Resident earn $77,965 a year, and homes are valued at more than $223,800.
What else could you possibly want if you're someone who likes the good things in life?
Mapping The Best And Worst Places To Live in Tennessee
The Pressing Question: Size
Before we even started to collect data, we had to answer a tough question: Is it fair to pit cities with populations over 100,000 against places with a population of 18?
We firmly decided no, that just isn't fair.
So to create our ranking, we broke places to live into three tiers:
- Cities -- Populations over 5,000
- Towns -- Populations between 1,000 and 5,000
- Small Towns -- Populations below 1,000
This left us with 91 cities, 175 towns, and 136 small towns.
We then decided, no matter how much anyone loves their town, the best places have more of everything and therefore you need to have over 5,000 people to truly be 'the best'.
Now we also realize that city living might not be your cup of tea, so we ran the following analysis on towns and then again for small towns.
You can see those two top tens at the bottom of the post.
How We Calculated The Best Cities To Live In Tennessee
Now that we had our set of cities, it was time to rank them.
We ranked each place in Tennessee across a number of criteria from one to 91, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title "Best Place To Live In Tennessee".
The criteria we looked at were:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher better)
- Unemployment Rate
- Commute Time
- Crime
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty rates
Sources of criteria include the New Census Data and FBI Crime Data.
After the dust settled, what was the best place to live in Tennessee? That would be Germantown.
If your city or town isn't among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart of the best places in Tennessee.
Otherwise, buckle up for a ride down good living lane with Germantown at the end of the cul-de-sac.
Wrapping Up The Best Places When It Comes To Living In Tennessee
If you're looking at areas in Tennessee with the best economic situations, where there's lower than average crime, and a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
Germantown made a strong showing to take in the overall number one spot for the best place to live in Tennessee for 2019.
Best Towns To Live In Tennessee
- Lookout Mountain (Pop. 1,930)
- Belle Meade (Pop. 2,704)
- Oak Hill (Pop. 4,686)
- Sewanee (Pop. 2,503)
- Forest Hills (Pop. 4,999)
- Gray (Pop. 1,806)
- Medina (Pop. 4,025)
- Shackle Island (Pop. 3,290)
- Walden (Pop. 1,907)
- Lakesite (Pop. 1,911)
Best Small Towns To Live In Tennessee
- Ridgeside (Pop. 671)
- Rockvale (Pop. 822)
- Bell Buckle (Pop. 401)
- Walterhill (Pop. 355)
- Rockford (Pop. 788)
- Berry Hill (Pop. 793)
- Baneberry (Pop. 487)
- Garland (Pop. 343)
- Oak Grove CDP (Sumner (Pop. 215)
- Gibson (Pop. 316)
If you're curious enough, here are the worst places to live in Tennessee according to the data:
- La Follette (Pop. 7,131)
- Savannah (Pop. 7,043)
- Ripley (Pop. 8,249)
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In Tennessee
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Tennessee
- 10 Safest Places In Tennessee
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Tennessee
Where Are The Best Places To Live In Tennessee?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germantown | 39,213 |
| 2 | Brentwood | 40,873 |
| 3 | Signal Mountain | 8,500 |
| 4 | Collierville | 48,005 |
| 5 | Spring Hill | 34,364 |
| 6 | Franklin | 70,625 |
| 7 | Collegedale | 10,438 |
| 8 | Nolensville | 6,724 |
| 9 | Bartlett | 58,318 |
| 10 | Mount Juliet | 29,853 |
