These Michigan Cities Offer The Best Quality of Life in the State

Living in Michigan has its fair share of perks. The cost of living is below average, home prices are below average, there are plenty of activities for a wide variety of interests, and you're never too far from a lake.

Take it from me - a transplant from Alabama - my quality of life has greatly improved over my two years living in the Mitten State.

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But, it's possible there's a cap on my quality of life based on the city I call home. Battle Creek wasn't included in this recent study ranking 500 of the largest cities in the country ranking them by the quality of life they offer.

In total, 15 Michigan cities landed on the list built by LawnStarter. The study analyzed a wide variety of factors that impact people's everyday lives, from Environment to Mental Health and Healthcare Access to Leisure Time.

Of the 15 cities on the list, only six landed in the top 250, and only three in the top 100. Unfortunately, Michigan cities crowded the back end of the rankings, particularly with Detroit landing at No. 499 and Flint closing out the list at No. 500.

The other cities included in the back half of the list are:

• No. 448 - Dearborn
• No. 425 - Warren
• No. 419 - Westland
• No. 406 - Lansing
• No. 284 - Wyoming
• No. 282 - Southfield
• No. 270 - Sterling Heights

Of course, the study only includes the 500 largest cities. So, some cities have advantages that others don't. For example, Southfield ranks No. 13 nationally - the best in Michigan. Sure, the No. 474-ranked Environment score isn't great, but only one other Michigan city had a higher ranking in any other category.

The cities that ranked in the top half of the list are:

• No. 231 - Livonia
• No. 222 - Grand Rapids
• No. 108 - Farmington Hills
• No. 56 - Troy
• No. 43 - Rochester Hills
• No. 31 - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor really impressed across nearly every category. The home of the University of Michigan ranked No. 1 nationally for Air and Water Quality, No. 6 for Healthcare Access, and No. 10 in both Education and Leisure Time. Still, the city ranked low in Mental Health (No. 253) and Economic Stability (No. 312).

If you're more of a rural lifestyle type person, many of the amenities provided by city living likely don't appeal much to you anyway. In any estimation, your quality of life improves by being where you want to be and making the best of it.