Celebrating the best places to live (and the quest for home) in America

“We all have different priorities in life, and there is a place for each of us where we can live according to what those priorities are.” – Winona Dimeo

Winona Dimeo (@winona_rose) is the managing editor of Livability.com, a website that ranks America’s most livable small and mid-sized cities.

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Winona discuss what people are looking for in a place to live (2:00) and Livability.com’s latest rankings for America’s most livable cities (23:00). Then, Rolf takes recommendations from listeners on their favorite places to live in America (53:00).

For more livability tips, check out 2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live. Livability also publishes its methodology.

Cities mentioned in the main interview include: Portland, OR; Austin, TX; Minneapolis, MN; Pittsburgh, PA; Manhattan, KS; Lawrence, KS; Overland Park, KS; Lindsborg, KS; Ottawa, KS; Wichita, KS; Buffalo, NY; Rochester, MN; Kingsport, TN; Sevierville, TN; Fargo, ND; Savannah, GA; New Orleans, LA; Cincinnati, OH; Yellow Springs, OH; Athens, OH; Astoria, OR; Lincoln City, OR; Nashville, TN; Asheville, NC; Black Mountain, NC; Brevard, NC; Traverse City, MI; Marfa, TX; Charleston, SC; Bend, OR; and Hood River, OR.

Notable Links:

• Konza Prairie (biological preserve)
• Tallgrass National Prairie Preserve
• Kanopolis State Park
• Stiefel Theater
• “One of the Coolest Cities in America Doesn’t Even Realize It Yet” (Thrillist article)
• Dollywood (theme park)
• Alicia Underlee Nelson (travel writer)
• Gooding (band)
• 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, by Patricia Shultz (book)
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival
• Transcendental Meditation
• Wollowa Mountains (mountain range)
• Terminal Gravity (brewery)
• Maharishi Vastu Architecture

Audio contributors:

• Adam Karlin (Staunton, VA)
• Alicia Ard (Bend, OR)
• Sarah Bell (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania)
• Gooding (Kingston Springs, TN)
• Steven Gray (Pensacola, FL)
• Avery Gunns (Truth or Consequences, NM)
• Max Hartshorne (Northampton, MA)
• Michele Hermann (Buffalo, NY)
• Karen Hugg (Ashland, OR)
• Jamie-Lee Josselyn (Galena, IL)
• Brian Kevin (Joseph, OR and Enterprise, OR)
• Tim Leffel (Chattanooga, TN)
• Deborah Lewis (Middlebury, VT)
• Dinty W. Moore (Athens, OH)
• Chrystine Olson (Graham, NC)
• Patricia Schultz (Beacon, NY)
• Jessica Voigts (Traverse City, MI)
• Jason Wisdom (Fairfield, IA)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.