Financial site: Rock Hill is SC’s ‘new boomtown’ and one of the best places to live in US
Money just published its list of Best Places to Live in the country, and Rock Hill is the only place in South Carolina to earn a spot.
The online financial site, first published in 1972 as Money Magazine, produces a wide range of “best of” lists for consumers. Best Places to Live includes 50 cities and towns noted for livability, equity and sustainability, according to Money. Communities were compared based on factors such as local job market, housing costs, poverty rate and public schools, according to the listing.
The annual listing dates back three decades, but this year Money split honorees into one of five categories rather than rank them all numerically. There were suburbs with a soul, hidden gems, new boomtowns, not-just-college towns and culture hubs.
Rock Hill is listed as a new boomtown by Money. It’s called a growing city with “jobs, nature and good eats.” The listing highlights Knowledge Park, York Technical College, the Catawba River, the city’s free bus system and local dining options.
Rock Hill is one of three communities in the Carolinas to make the list. It’s the only one from South Carolina.
Brevard, North Carolina, is listed under best kept secrets. Durham, North Carolina, made the not-just-college towns listing.
Mayor John Gettys mentioned the listing Monday night just hours after it was published when Rock Hill City Council met. It’s in line with the update the city heard just prior, Gettys said, on the BMX world championship bike races coming to the city next month. The same event in 2017 drew 3,700 riders from 48 countries.
The announcement also comes days before the Thursday start of Come-See-Me, Rock Hill’s annual spring festival and one of several well-known regional events the city hosts. The mayor pointed to the people of Rock Hill for the latest accolade.
“Congratulations to all the people of Rock Hill that have made our community what it is, and again being recognized for that,” Gettys said.
