U.S. News & World Report has seen better days, like many legacy publications. Even during the golden age of national weekly news magazines, U.S. News was generally considered third-best, trailing behind Time and Newsweek.

Still, U.S. News has carved out a lasting identity through its rankings—especially its widely cited lists of top universities.

One of its ongoing projects is ranking the best places to live in America. As I’ve noted before on this blog, I believe Money Magazine has the most solid methodology when it comes to evaluating livability in local communities.

That said, U.S. News just released its latest list of best places to live—and Fishers landed in an impressive fourth place nationwide. For context, our neighbor Carmel came in second.

I’ll admit I’m a bit skeptical of their approach. The methodology leans heavily on raw data that can sometimes be misleading and relies too much on public surveys, which often come with built-in biases.

Still, it’s worth noting that the city I’ve called home for 34 years has been recognized as one of the top places to live in the country. However imperfect the rankings may be, U.S. News & World Report gave our city a boost—and I’ll take that.