Carol Motsinger

cmotsinger@citizen-times.com

Asheville has another yet accolade to add to its list of, well, accolades.

Livability.com named Asheville one of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America.

Asheville is No. 12 on the second annual ranking, which is the result of research into what factors most influence the livability of America's small to mid-sized cities.

The listing celebrates Asheville as "a picturesque city that welcomes many tourists who visit attractions like nightclubs, performance venues and microbreweries."

"A high-achieving public school system is in place along with the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and a strong health-care network includes Asheville VA Medical Center and Mission Health System," post continues.

According to the organization, more than 2,000 cities were evaluated in the study. More than 40 data points were grouped into eight categories – economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and health care.

These eight scores were then weighted based on a survey conducted for Livability.com by Ipsos Public Affairs, a global market research firm.

Respondents were asked about factors that make their communities better places to live, as well as the factors they would consider in selecting another city. Every city with a population between 20,000 and 350,000 was considered. Sources included the best public and private data available from organizations like the U.S. Census Bureau, Walk Score, GreatSchools.com and Esri.

The research team was supported by an advisory board of the leading academics, authors, policy makers and practitioners in the places space.

Livability.com explores issues related to livability such as walkability, cultural amenities, transportation, urban planning and sustainability through exclusive research and discussions on our blog. The website creates monthly top 10 lists, in addition to the annual ranking of livable cities. For more, visit the website.