The Best Work-From-Home Cities All Have One Thing In Common

In a recent article, I spotlight 50 US and 10 Canadian cities based on data from Ookla Speedtest, BroadbandNow, BestPlaces, the US Census, and StatCan. The list is quirky, on purpose. We carefully tried to mix large cities, smaller cities, and small towns, with a focus on affordability and high-speed internet access. Fiber broadband became the overwhelming benchmark; though we included some cities with primarily cable ISPs, fiber has the most capacity and most symmetrical connections, and new technologies such as 5G and low-Earth-orbit satellite aren't going to change that. Along the way, we found that several of the cities have come up with a crucial solution to the North American internet access and cost crisis: local fiber ISPs. Our top-ranked city, Chattanooga, lands at the top because the city made a conscious decision in 2010 to roll out fiber citywide through its electric company, EPB. Shallotte, NC, also on our list, was wired by the nonprofit ATMC.