Why a South Florida city was ranked one of the best places to live
Maybe it’s the beach, the restaurants and the culture.
But Fort Lauderdale’s business opportunities also helped pushed Broward’s most well-known city onto the list of the most livable cities in the southeastern United States.
Livability cited the “diverse economy” with industries that include global logistics, aerospace, aviation, technology, financial services and marine businesses in putting Fort Lauderdale on its top 25 list.
Economic factors such as no income tax, like the rest of Florida, and more affordable housing options also were cited as factors. The average rent in downtown Fort Lauderdale, for example, is about $2,900 a month while the average rent in Brickell in downtown Miami is over $3,500 a month, according to Apartments.com.
The only other cities in Florida to make the most livable list were Orlando and St. Petersburg. Livability used 100 metrics to evaluate cities with populations of between 75,000 and 100,000 people and also publishes an annual list of the Top 100 Places to Live in the U.S.
The rankings couldn’t help but gush over Fort Lauderdale’s lure. The diversity of more than 30 neighborhoods. The waterways that have earned the city the nickname Venice of America. The beckoning oceanfront.
“Because, let’s face it, who can resist a cosmopolitan city with 24 miles of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, a dynamic dining scene and arts and culture aplenty,” Livabilty said in its rankings.
Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Daniel Lindblade has been in the city for 18 years and isn’t surprised by the selection.
In 2007, Fort Lauderdale officials designed a master plan to build out its downtown area as a way of supporting the city’s residents and attracting tourists, he said.
The plan is working.
MORE: Downtown Fort Lauderdale is having a baby boom as families with young kids take over
“Now, it’s people all over the place, including the Riverwalk and where my office is in the Northeast community,” he said. “Our Sistrunk area is now burgeoning and growing, new restaurant just opened,” Lindblade said of musician Trick Daddy’s restaurant Sunday’s Eatery that recently opened in the historically Black neighborhood.
Coming out of the Great Recession was a turning point for the city’s growth, Lindblade said. But when the pandemic started in 2020, the growth had slowed. Then Miami real estate professionals saw Fort Lauderdale to the north as a place to build.
“Folks in Miami building down there started looking up here as an opportunity to build product up there,” he said. “We saw builders and developers down there coming up here.”
Lindblade is excited about Lionel Messi and Inter Miami games that have added to the city’s appeal and the back-to-back Stanley Cup championships of the Florida Panthers, whose practice complex is just north of downtown.
“You’ve got walkability, a beach and wonderful amenities all around,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming, but we’re finally getting there.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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