ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – For 12 years now, Livability.com has published its Top 100 Best Places to Live list — and in 2025, Roswell and Athens made the cut.

The website combed through data in partnership with Applied Geographic Solutions, a demographics database, to choose the best U.S. cities with a population between 75,000 and 500,000. But the 2025 edition doesn’t list the cities from 1 to 100. Instead, it has an interactive sorting system, so users can pick and choose which features are most important to them.

Livability.com Editor-in-Chief Amanda Ellis said this year’s list celebrates small and midsize cities where Americans can thrive despite record inflation and a turbulent workforce.

“It’s the only list out there truly honing in on affordability, lauding the amazing, accessible cities across the country other than our large U.S. metros which often get more recognition,” she said.

Roswell, which earned an overall LivScore of 838 out of 1000, scored the highest out of any city for its economy, which is flush with jobs in the healthcare, technology and manufacturing sectors. It also ranked high for its hospitals and amenities.

“With a prime location close to the city, a nearby airport and easy access to the Chattahoochee River, Roswell offers a combination of history, charm and modern amenities, including top-notch health care facilities and list-worthy schools, attractive neighborhoods and plenty of outdoor fun,” Livability.com said in its synopsis.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Metro Atlanta city named one of the best places to live in the U.S. by study

This year marks Roswell’s second time making the list. It ranked No. 12 in 2024.

Meanwhile, Athens hopped on the list for the first time in 2025, earning a LivScore of 646. It scored well for its outdoor environment and public transportation options.

“Athens is alive with Southern charm and a lively arts scene,” Livability.com said. “This vibrant college town is brimming with historic architecture, a thriving music scene and a whole lot of school pride.”

Click here to see Livability’s Top 100 Best Places to Live list for 2025.

Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – After a historic weekend at the Masters that saw Rory McIlroy become the sixth golfer to achieve a career Grand Slam, golf is enjoying its spot in the limelight.

It’s also learning to adapt to new players of all skill levels and disabilities.

Dan Schlatterer is in the latter group.

“I had a stroke 10 years ago while I was working in a hospital, ironically,” he said.

The former trauma surgeon and diehard Buffalo Bills fan now struggles to use his left hand. He plays golf using only his right.

“Golf has motivated me to work on my leg strength and my balance,” he said. “That’s why I love coming out here.”

“Out here” is the driving range at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, a site used by the nonprofit Georgia State Golf Association’s (GSGA) Adaptive Golf program.

“Anyone with a physical, cognitive, or sensory impairment can learn and enjoy this great game of golf,” said program director David Windsor.

That openness is a hard contrast with what can seem like an impossible sport to access, even as the game furiously promotes its growth.

Tuesday’s program welcomed nearly two dozen participants. Volunteers helped multiple blind golfers, provided specialized carts for paralyzed players, and provided adaptive training for other physical conditions.

“There’s always room for improvement,” Schlatter said. “It’s never good enough, which is sort of like life, I suppose.”

For some, it’s a light after a tragedy or trauma.

“Golf is helping me get my life back,” said golfer Chris Johnson.

“It is great therapy without ever saying the word ‘therapy,’” added Windsor.

Because more than any other sport, golf isn’t played with the eyes, or the feet, or with strength. Golf is mainly between the ears.

“They can do something that they thought was not possible again,” Windsor said.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta has become a hotspot in the southeast for human trafficking.

And Monday — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr spoke with News 12 on a new human trafficking prosecution unit expansion in Richmond County.

Since its creation in 2019 — the unit has only had one Atlanta based team.

Starting on May 1 there will be a new team, Carr says, that are highly trained and skilled when it comes to human trafficking.

Joining the Augusta team are two local investigators, William Loomer and Patrick Brown, along with Prosecutor Megan Adams.

The team won’t just work the major roadways like I-20 — they will be online too in hopes of creating an environment where traffickers live in fear, but victims understand help is coming to more cities than just Augusta.

“We are going to have offices not only in Augusta, but in Macon and Atlanta,” Carr said. “I think the strategic point there is because human trafficking is so often a very transit-oriented type horrific industry, where today you may be in Atlanta and tomorrow Macon and the next day you may be in Augusta. This allows us to cover I-75, I-85, I-16 and I-20. So we have the major arteries in the state that we will now have a presence.”

Kari Viola- Brooke with Child Enrichment sees trafficking victims daily and says this will put more eyes in the community to help identify the number of growing cases.

“This is something we’ve been advocating for years, it feels like,” Viola-Brooke explains. “A couple years ago, we had the most confirmed cases of child sex trafficking in the state of Georgia, and we knew that we needed a more dedicated response to be able to combat this. We’re so appreciative of the Attorney General’s Office for not only recognizing this, but taking action, and I think it’s just going to make us a much safer community.”

All of this kicks off on May 1 and Attorney General Carr says with the expansion to Augusta and Macon they feel not only will this help reach more victims, but their hope is they can continue to grow the expansions across the state.

You can read the full release here.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.