(WAND) - Business Insider has ranked Springfield, Illinois, as the best U.S. city to live in after the pandemic ends. The ranking was published on its website Thursday, and four other central Illinois cities also made the list.
Mayor Jim Langfelder tells WAND he is thrilled about the recognition.
"Very excited, of course, being number one," he said. "We were ecstatic over it... It's the private sector, it's the public sector, it's our educational and non-profits. It's really how we work together,"
Business Insider said it used nine economic, educational, and demographic metrics from government data sources and academic research to compile a list of the top cities people should consider moving to after the pandemic. Springfield finished #1 out of 380 U.S. metro areas. Also making the top 30 were Bloomington (#4), Champaign (#5), Peoria (#28) and Danville (#30).
The article cited Springfield's low unemployment rate and the amount of the city's jobs that can be done from home. It said Springfield's pre-coronavirus unemployment rate was 3.5 percent. 42.9 percent of those jobs could be done from home, the 16th highest share among metro areas.
"One of the key elements was working remotely," Mayor Langfelder said. "We have our own fiber network... Individuals that want to work remotely, you'll have that infrastructure in place, and be able to attract the workforce for tomorrow."
Mayor Langfelder also cites Springfield's strong history of overcoming challenges, as an indicator of its strong future.
"All communities will have to do that self-reflection," he said. "How do you pull together through these tough times and make it through to the best potential possible? And Springfield will rise to that occasion, as we have previously."
To read more about the rankings, click HERE.
