Life

In survey, Hendersonville ranks 2nd in NC

By Bill Moss, Published: May 28, 2014

Hendersonville's low crime rate, short commute times, relative affluence and education level have landed the city another high ranking in livability ratings.

CreditDonkey.com, a credit card comparison and financial education website for young adults, ranked Hendersonville second in a survey of the 10 best cities to live in North Carolina. Asheville was ranked fourth.

The new recognition follows several honors for the city. A year ago USA Today put Hendersonville on a list of "5 Great Unknown Places to Retire" — citing the mountains, waterfalls, proximity to Asheville, the Flat Rock Playhouse, the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra and other assets that few cities of 12,000 people can match.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/brooks/2013/06/03/retirement-retire-asheville-hendersonville--st-augustine-baby-boomers-/2358597/

To compile the rankings released this week, editors at CreditDonkey analyzed the violent crime rate, average commute time, average income, percentage of residents who attended some college and the number of restaurants per capita. Based on these criteria, the 10 best cities were:

1. Mooresville
2. Hendersonville
3. Belmont
4. Asheville
5. Kernersville
6. Goldsboro
7. New Bern
8. Fayetteville
9. Hickory
10. Reidsville

For more information on the best cities to live in North Carolina, or to learn about the study's methodology, please visit http://www.creditdonkey.com/live-north-carolina.html

Among the winners, incomes ranged from just under $35,000 to more than $56,000; average commute times ranged from 17 minutes to almost 23 minutes; and the percentage of residents who attended some college varied from approximately 20 percent to more than 30 percent. Each city boasts relatively low rates of violent crime, but has a relatively high number of restaurants.

"We think each city in our Top 10 list provides people with the best of both worlds when it comes to work and play," said Charles Tran, founder of CreditDonkey. "Obviously, no one city will make an ideal home for everyone. Living in or near a major metro area offers a broader range of options when it comes to jobs, entertainment, and schools, but it may come with a higher cost of living and more congestion. Everyone has to find the right balance of old-fashioned Southern charm and the variety and excitement of living in a cosmopolitan area."