This year\u2019s ranking also added new measures such as housing affordability and healthcare access.<\/p>\n
New York City may have topped the list at No. 1, but four along the New York State Thruway also made the cut: Rochester, Buffalo, Albany and Syracuse. Here\u2019s where they landed on the list.<\/p>\n
![\"High](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IETR7JRSMBBGRGUCZ4Y2BHIWWU.jpg\")
The beautiful High Falls of Rochester, N.Y.Getty Images\/500px Plus<\/p>\n
No. 39 – Rochester <\/b><\/p>\n
From rustbelt past to innovative hub, researchers ranked Rochester<\/a> No. 28 for Livability in their 2025 Best Cities report, highlighting the city\u2019s reinvention. The Western New York<\/a> city placed No. 11 in Green Space and No. 21 in University, thanks to the talent pipeline from RIT and the University of Rochester that continues to attract advanced manufacturing and photonics employers. It was also recently named one of the top college towns in America<\/a>. <\/p>\n The report also pointed to a booming housing market with Monroe County recently ranked the nation\u2019s fifth-hottest real estate market<\/a> this spring, and major redevelopment projects like the $100 million removal of the Inner Loop North, which will free up land for housing, parks and bike lanes. <\/p>\n Other projects, including a $38 million upgrade at Frederick Douglass International Airport<\/a> and new hotels near the Strong National Museum of Play<\/a>, are reshaping the city for residents and visitors alike.<\/p>\n No. 42 – Buffalo<\/b><\/p>\n Buffalo<\/a>\u2019s \u201cQueen City\u201d crown is shining brighter these days, as the report calls its growth an \u201cunderstated urban revival.\u201d Buffalo ranked No. 33 for Livability, boosted by strong scores in Walkability (No. 16) and Biking (No. 19). <\/p>\n The Buffalo art scene is rich in history and the $230 million expansion of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum<\/a> has made the city a must-stop for modern art lovers. <\/p>\n The city\u2019s momentum is fueled by major projects like the transformation of the DL&W Terminal into a public market and transit hub, a new pro soccer stadium, job growth from Amazon\u2019s massive robotics center and a new Lifco Hydraulics plant. Zillow<\/a> also named Buffalo the nation\u2019s hottest housing market for 2025, with values up nearly 9% but still well below the U.S. average.<\/p>\n No. 44 – Albany<\/b><\/p>\n To worldsbestcities.com, Albany is shaking off its \u201csleepy\u201d reputation. Anchored by major semiconductor investments like the $614 million NanoFab Reflection building at SUNY-Poly and GlobalFoundries\u2019 $13 billion Fab 8.2 project, the Capital Region is emerging as a hub in the federal CHIPS Act<\/a>. <\/p>\n Downtown Albany is also buzzing with new development, from restaurants and grocery options to the region\u2019s first Costco, while the city maintains strong Walkability (#23) and Housing Affordability (#29) with a median home price of $269,000. Ongoing projects include affordable housing, hotel upgrades, and a $100 million airport modernization.<\/p>\n No. 58 – Syracuse<\/b><\/p>\n Syracuse<\/a> was described in the report as one of Central New York<\/a>\u2019s savviest economic hubs. The Salt City is steadily emerging as a livable and tech-savvy gem. It ranked No. 34 in Walkability and the report claimed that advancing the $2.25 billion I\u201181 Viaduct Project could create a more walkable downtown by 2028. <\/p>\n Micron Technology<\/a>\u2019s planned $100 billion semiconductor investment earned a mention in the report as well as excellent air quality (#22), green space (#30) and housing affordability (#32), while new restaurants and recreation amenities add to the city\u2019s cultural appeal.<\/p>\n Outside of Upstate New York, Poughkeepsie also made the list at No. 82. The \u201cQueen City of the Hudson,\u201d offers a walkable downtown (#28 Walkability) and scenic spots like the Walkway over the Hudson<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Upstate New York is making its mark, with four cities landing spots on a new ranking of America\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":175233,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,94207,37173,1002,99630,99631,99632,99633,405,403,5226,5225,40335,5228,5227,3092,8743,99634,99635,879,99636,56253,67,586,132,5230,9302,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-175232","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-autumn","10":"tag-bridge","11":"tag-color-image","12":"tag-flowing-water","13":"tag-footbridge","14":"tag-high-falls","15":"tag-hsmadi","16":"tag-new-york","17":"tag-new-york-city","18":"tag-newyork","19":"tag-newyorkcity","20":"tag-no-people","21":"tag-ny","22":"tag-nyc","23":"tag-photography","24":"tag-river","25":"tag-river-channel","26":"tag-riverbank","27":"tag-rochester","28":"tag-standing-water","29":"tag-sunset","30":"tag-united-states","31":"tag-united-states-of-america","32":"tag-unitedstates","33":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","34":"tag-urban-skyline","35":"tag-us","36":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115091347309336211","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Buffalo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/R5FSY3GRBRGWJFMOZIHBYMAEWY.jpg\")
Downtown Buffalo skyline along the historic waterfront district at night. Denis Tangney Jr | Getty ImagesDenis Tangney Jr | Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Downtown](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PAPOSCGWGRCVHBY7GISZQQXTO4.jpg\")
The morning sun casts a warm glow on State Street, in the downtown business district of Albany New York. September 7, 2021. Kickstand | Getty ImagesKickstand | Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Downtown](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/LCAKLOCSGJFCDEAHITX3ZTMXCU.jpg\")
Columbus Circle in downtown Syracuse. Denis Tangney Jr. | Getty ImagesDenis Tangney Jr. | Getty Images<\/p>\n