This Kansas city is one of the best places to live in the US, ranking says. Here’s why

Natalie Wallington
City of Overland Park

The city ranking site Livability has ranked Overland Park the seventh most livable city in the U.S., with standout qualities including education, economic opportunity and health care access.

“Overland Park is a warm and welcoming community with picturesque neighborhoods, a strong economy, top-rated schools and plenty of things to do without skimping out on affordability,” Livability writes.

While the site may not know everything about Overland Park based on rankings alone — it describes the Johnson County city as “situated in the heart of Kansas”— its customized “LivScore” ranking system highlights some of the city’s best assets.

See a new side of Overland Park: famous farmers market, international foods & green space

Overland Park ranks third in the nation on education out of the site’s 100 best small and mid-sized cities to live in across the U.S., just behind Broomfield, Colorado, and Columbia, Maryland.

The city comes in fifth place on both health care access and economic factors. The site notes its proximity to the Kansas City metro area and growing sectors like technology, e-commerce and manufacturing as reasons the economy is drawing in new, young workers. And its wide variety of hospitals and specialty clinics make it a top-rated choice for health care.

Overland Park’s scores on all those factors plus amenities, environment, housing, safety and transportation combined to earn it the seventh place slot in Livability’s rankings.

Some local businesses also got shoutouts, including Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, Louie’s Wine Dive, New Theatre Restaurant and The BrewTop Pub and Patio.

The city was beat for the top slots by the following cities:

  • Carmel, Indiana

  • Cary, North Carolina

  • Columbia, Maryland

  • Fishers, Indiana

  • Naperville, Illinois

  • Broomfield, Colorado

Overland Park’s lowest scores came in the safety and environment categories, where it earned 49 and 50 out of 100 total points, respectively. Safety scores were calculated using local crime rates, while environment scores looked at factors like natural disaster risks, air quality and urban density.

Do you have more questions about the cost of living in the Kansas City area? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.

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