These are the best WA cities and neighborhoods to live in, according to new Niche ranking

A pair of Washington cities are among the best places to live in the country, according to new rankings from Niche.

Earlier this week, the rankings site released its annual list of the best places to live across the U.S. The rankings were broken down into four categories: cities, city neighborhoods, suburbs and towns. Niche only considers places with over 100,000 residents to be cities, meaning the Seattle area was featured heavily in the statewide rankings and much of the rest of Washington thrown into the town category.

Here are the places in Washington that made the list.The Seattle area received two mentions toward the top of Niche’s list of the best cities to live in across the country. Bellevue took the top spot in Washington and No. 9 in the country overall. Niche gave it an A+ grade for its schools and appeal to families, A’s for its nightlife and diversity, a B- for safety and a C+ for housing.

Seattle was just behind at No. 16 in the country, also earning high marks for its nightlife, diversity and appeal to families, but low marks for housing and crime.

Spokane was the third Washington city on the list and placed No. 169 in the country, while Tacoma and Vancouver were just behind at No. 181 and No. 189.

Best towns and suburbs in Washington

While Redmond didn’t have the honor of being classified as a city of its own by Niche, it earned a higher grade than Bellevue, making it the highest-rated suburb, and overall place to live, in Washington. A few other Seattle-area suburbs – Yarrow Point, Clyde Hill, Newcastle and Sammamish – were just behind.

The line between suburb and town isn’t always clear, and Niche included plenty of places in both categories. Of places only designated as towns, Pullman, Snoqualmie and North Bend took the top spots in the state.

Best neighborhoods in Washington

Seattle’s South Lake Union area was the highest-ranked neighborhood in Washington and sixth-highest in the country. The area earned an A+ grade for its nightlife and its livability for families, along with an A for its schools. Housing is the main drawback of living there, according to Niche, and the area got a C+ grade in that category.

There was a big drop-off between South Lake Union and the next Washington area on the list, its neighbor Westlake at No. 109. A pair of other downtown Seattle neighborhoods, Belltown and First Hill, also cracked the top 200. Bellevue was home to the next two Washington neighborhoods on the list: West Bellevue at No. 234 and Wilburton at No. 246.

Here are the next best neighborhoods in Washington to live in, according to Niche.

• Grass Lawn, Redmond

• Downtown Seattle

• Broadway-Capitol Hill, Seattle

• Education Hill, Redmond

• Northwest Bellevue

Best places to live outside of Seattle area

Niche’s list leaned heavily on the Seattle area. But what about the rest of Washington?

Here are the five best neighborhoods or municipalities to live in Pierce County, according to Niche:

• North End, Tacoma

• DuPont

• Artondale

• Fircrest

• University Place

Here are the five highest-ranked neighborhoods or municipalities in Whatcom County:

• Geneva

• Sudden Valley

• Bellingham

• Everson

• Ferndale

These are the highest-rated areas in Thurston County:

• Tumwater

• Lacey

• Olympia

• Tanglewilde

• Grand Mound

These are the highest-rated places to live in the Tri-Cities area:

• West Richland

• Richland

• West Pasco

• Kennewick

• Prosser

How the rankings were made

Niche used U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Bureau of Labor Statistics data, combined with other sources and resident reviews to give each location an overall grade and a grade in six categories: schools, housing, appeal for families, crime and safety, nightlife and diversity. Municipalities with over 100,000 residents were considered cities while places with fewer than 100,000 residents were considered towns. Additionally, places with over 1,000 residents that are located near a city were categorized as suburbs. In order for a neighborhood to qualify for the rankings, it had to have over 1,000 residents and be located within city limits.