Best Cities to Live in Tennessee

One of the biggest culture & music hubs in the south, Tennessee is also home to some of the most affordable housing in the US. You’ll be surprised how many natural resources it has and how beautiful they are. What more reasons do you need to move to the Volunteer State? Have a glance at our rundown of Tennessee’s five best cities to live in for advice on where to establish yourself in the state.

1. Franklin

Franklin, an affluent, fast-growing city of nearly 81,000 in Williamson County, is the best Tennessee city to live in.  The city has witnessed rapid development in recent decades, building up the healthcare and manufacturing sectors of its economy and providing tons of jobs to the community.

2. Millington

Millington is a small city in the southwest corner of the state that is best known as home to the Naval Support Activity Mid-South naval base, which provides over 7,000 jobs to residents in the area and is one of the largest employers in Tennessee.

3. Germantown

Third in the ranking is Germantown, a wealthy suburb of Memphis with a high median household income owing to a strong commercial and retail-based economy. Germantown residents enjoy a large number of scenic parks housing numerous amenities that are great for weekend outings.

4. Brentwood

Brentwood is an idyllic suburb of Nashville located in Williamson County, one of the most affluent counties in the country. The city is home to the headquarters of major companies like LBMC and EMI Christian Music Group.

5. Collierville

Filling out the top five is Collierville, another affluent suburb of Memphis that is home to a historic town square once voted “Best Main Street” in America by Parade Magazine.  

Best Cities to Live in Tennessee

Methodology

We ranked a total of 2,509 qualified cities (those with populations above 25,000 and enough data for analysis) by five factors: employment (number of establishments, median earnings); housing (owner-occupied housing with a mortgage, monthly housing costs); quality of life (work commute, poverty levels); education (percentage with a bachelor’s degree or higher); and health (obesity ratios).