Annecy, 7th best city to live in France in 2023
The time is long gone when Annecy was at the top of the list of cities in France where it is good to live. Already last year, the city on the lake had taken the first place. This year, it is in 7th place in the ranking of cities and villages in France.
Annecy in the top 10 cities where it is good to live
In 2020 and 2021, Annecy was at the top of the podium of cities where it is good to live in France. Already in 2022, it was ancient history since it was dethroned by Angers. And according to the ranking published in Journal du Dimanche, on February 26th, the downfall is not over.
In 2023, Annecy is ranked in 7th place.
The Atmo index in question ?
Several factors seem to explain this drop. The first is the integration of environmental protection and the taking into account of the Atmo index. The latter is used to measure the concentration of polluting particles in the air.
However, air pollution levels are regularly high in Annecy.
Another point taken into account in this environmental category, the proximity of industrial sites considered polluted. It could be that the detection of PFAS chemicals in two water catchments of Rumilly have played their role in the ranking of Annecy at the 7th place of the ranking of cities and villages where it is good to live.
These cities which progress in the classification
Nevertheless, the environment is not the only factor explaining Annecy’s position this year. It is also worth noting the progress of other cities with more than 2,000 inhabitants, namely Angers, Bayonne, Biarritz, Anglet, La Rochelle and Lorient. The Basque Country is widely represented in this ranking, as well as the West of France.
Marcellaz Albanais enters the top 10 villages
However, all is not lost for the Haute-Savoie region, since the small town of Marcellaz Albanais, with 1,953 inhabitants in 2019, has entered the top 10 of villages with less than 2,000 inhabitants where it is good to live, in 10th place. It must be said that everything is implemented for the well-being of the inhabitants.
Despite the large size of the town, the town center is developed and there are many local shops and services. A point which has a significant importance on the living environment of the inhabitants of the village.
The bottom of the ranking
The ranking of cities and villages where life is good is established on the basis of a certain number of criteria. The last survey was conducted in October 2022. It was carried out on the basis of a sample of 1004 people, representative of the French population and aged 18 years or more.
34,820 municipalities for 198 criteria
This year, the ranking is based on 34,820 municipalities in metropolitan France. A list of 198 criteria is used to make an analysis. That’s 11 more than last year.
Note that 3 concern the protection of the environment and 8 focus on safety in the town.
Each criterion taken into account is derived from an official source and allows municipalities to obtain a certain number of points: 0, 25, 50, 75 or 100. They are defined according to a distance as the crow flies, a travel time by road and taking into account the average traffic conditions or the difference with the minimum value of the communes having an equivalent number of inhabitants.
Orders of priority in the categories
10 categories influence the ranking. They have been chosen following surveys conducted by the French association Villes et Villages où il fait bon vivre. And in the last survey, an order of priority was given to these categories:
