Rochester, Minnesota

Residents of Rochester can expect to enjoy their great place to live for a very long time. After all, the city of 116,000 people has been recognized as the healthiest in the nation.

Minnesota as a whole is a pretty healthy place — the North Star State has among the highest life expectancy rates in the country — but there's a reason Rochester is known as Med City. The city is the birthplace of the Mayo Clinic, which today employs 36,300 people, and is home to more primary care physicians per 100,000 people (227), than any other place we considered.

The heavy presence of a healthcare leader isn’t just good for wellness. It’s also good for jobs. Rochester residents have a 17-minute commute on average, and employment is projected to grow 5.8% at a county level by 2023, according to Moody’s Analytics.

But it's not all work and no play in Rochester. The Rochester Art Center — along with the riverfront Mayo Park behind it — regularly hosts events like art exhibitions and concerts. Other cultural institutions, from the family-friendly Minnesota Children’s Museum to the hip Gray Duck Theater and Coffeehouse, mean there’s always something to do on the weekend. — Shaina Mishkin