RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Not many reports ever refer to the Triangle as one metropolitan area. It’s usually Raleigh-Cary and Durham-Chapel Hill. But U.S. News groups the cities into one metro area and calls it a “tri-city,” leaving out Cary.

Regardless of the name or title, the region is still one of the best places to live in the U.S.

In its annual “Best Places to Live” report the Triangle rose to No. 3 among 150 metro areas studied. That’s up from No. 6 in 2022.

“Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are known for their research/technology roots and collegiate rivalries. This tri-city region (known as the Triangle) is luring new residents every day with strong job growth and high quality of life,” the report says.

Out of a possible 10 points in each category, the Triangle achieve:

  • Overall Score 6.9
  • Quality Of Life 7.2
  • Value 7.0

Green Bay, Wisc., and Huntsville, Ala. took the top two spots.

By the way, on the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Cary front, The Milken Institute on Tuesday ranked Raleigh-Cary No. 3 on its Best Performing Cities report. Durham-Chapel Hill came in 29th,

Rankings for Triangle

The magazine does indeed consider the Triangle top drawer in multiple reports.