Evergrey
Apr 27, 2007, 1:00 AM
yeah... I always complain about these lists being lame... but I can't help feeling a cheesy sense of pride when my own city ranks first... plus this gives people a chance to say... "PITTSBURGH!?!?!? What a dump!"
On a personal note... I REALLY like the Top 10... whatever methodology they used seems to really favor cities with fantastic urban environments... also interesting that most of the Top 10 metros are either extremely slow growing or shrinking in population... so I guess Americans don't have the same priorities for "livability" as PlacesRated Almanac...
1. Pittsburgh, PA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Portland, OR
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Rochester, NY
7. Washington, DC
8. San Jose - Sunnyvale, CA
9. Boston, MA
10. Madison, WI
...
379 (and last). Goldsboro, NC
PlacesRated used to be published by Rand McNally... they came out with a new edition every 4 years starting in 1981... this time they're self-published and it's the first ranking since 1999...
...
"About the Book
Oh, for San Francisco’s ambience, the job market in Las Vegas, for Miami’s winters and the safe streets of St. Paul. What about Salt Lake City skiing and Topeka’s affordable homes? Or, for that matter, Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museums and Washington’s convenient METRO? If you could snap your fingers and suddenly find yourself living somewhere else, would you?
This 7th (and 25th anniversary) edition of Places Rated Almanac is meant for people thinking of moving as well as for anyone who enjoys learning about cities and towns and what they have to offer.
Every one of America’s 379 metro areas is rated by things that are important to anyone considering a move. Places Rated Almanac has nine main sections:
Ambience compares cultural assets. Diversity, religion, and politics; historic districts; good bookstores; and good restaurants also go into the mix. Quick Takes:
• Most liberal: Yuma, Arizona
• Youngest: Jacksonville, North Carolina
• Most historic: Baltimore, Maryland
Housing reports prices for Starter, Move Up, and Elite houses, property taxes, and utilities. Also considered: Recent price appreciation and typical apartment rents. Quick Takes:
• Slowest home price appreciation: Lafayette, Indiana
• Most expensive Starter home: San Francisco
• Cheapest Elite home: Brownsville, Texas
Jobs reports local unemployment risks and job growth forecasts to the year 2015 in basic industries, especially the higher-paying ones like manufacturing, transportation, communications, and government. Quick Takes:
• Brightest forecast: Austin-Round Rock, Texas
• Blue-collar Blues: Danville, Virginia
Crime reports the average annual number of violent and property crimes per 100,000 people over the past 10 years and whether the trend is upward, downward or unchanged. Quick Takes:
• Dangerous resort: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Car theft capital: Fresno, CA
Transportation details commuting time, public transit, and how easy it is to get into and out of each metro area by air, rail, and interstate highway. Quick Takes:
• Shortest commute: Grand Forks, North Dakota
• Busiest International Gateway: LAX Los Angeles
Each metro area's public and private schools, its collection of colleges and universities, and its public libraries produce an Education rating. Quick Takes:
• Highest library use: Portland, Oregon
• Highest % parochial school pupils: Dubuque, Iowa
Health Care counts the supply of accredited hospitals and patient-treating physicians, plus special services like open-heart surgery and sports medicine. Quick Takes:
• Medically specialized metro: Rochester, Minnesota
• Medically generalized metro: Duluth, Minnesota
• Osteopathic metro area: Lansing, Michigan
Recreation also rates assets, from public golf courses and movie theatres, to zoos, professional sports, ocean coastlines, and national parks, forests, and wildlife acreage. Quick Takes:
• Top golf spot: Monroe, Michigan
• Most protected recreation land: Bellingham, WA
• Best metros for zoos: Chicago and San Diego
Climate is rated on mildness, that is, how close temperatures remain to 65° Fahrenheit throughout the year. Brightness and stability also are part of the rating. Quick Takes:
• Highest metro: Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Not for depressives: Bremerton, Washington
• Great summers: Portland, Maine and Oregon
662 pages, multiple maps, index, and a personalized quiz to help you determine the factors most important to you."
...
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stacey J. Miller
Telephone: 781/986-0732 or Email: sjmiller@bookpr.com
Déjà vu All Over Again?
The 25th Anniversary Edition of Places Rated Almanac Identifies the Best
Metropolitan Area in the United States!
“It’s Pittsburgh again,” sighs David Savageau, editor of the 25th Anniversary Edition of Places Rated Almanac: The Classic Guide for Finding Your Best Places to Live in America. “That’s the best metropolitan area in the United States. I was pulling for New York this time around, but it wasn’t to be. Alas.”
Don’t misunderstand Savageau. He’s fond of Pittsburgh. In 1985, when the almanac ranked it No. 1, the New York Times sent a reporter out to investigate the fuss: “With its breathtaking skyline, its scenic waterfront, its cozily vibrant downtown, its rich mixture of cultural amenities, its warm neighborhoods and its scrubbed-clean skies, it no longer is the smoky, smelly, gritty milltown of yesteryear,” he wrote back.
There are few places in the United States that Savageau — who has produced six editions of Places Rated Almanac before this one — hasn’t enjoyed visiting. “Each city is appealing in its own way. But there’s something special about New York,” he asserts. “It’s packed with polite people, and there’s always something to do there. And New Yorkers’ response to 9/11 was, of course, heroic and set an example for everyone else in the country. I do wish that New York had won the distinction of being the ‘best metropolitan area in the United States.’ But the statistics speak for themselves. Pittsburgh comes in first place, and New York – as well as New York’s fans and supporters — will have to settle for being number 18.” Savageau refuses to manipulate statistics to rig the outcome, but he’s glad to explain how the rating system works. There are 379 officially-defined metropolitan areas. Four out of five of us live in one of them.
Each of those metro areas is rated and ranked on nine factors that influence the quality of a place: ambience, housing, the local economy, transportation, education, health care, crime, recreation, and climate. For example, the “ambience” category includes such factors as good restaurants and bookstores, historic districts, cultural and artistic assets, and “people” features like diversity and politics that contribute to a place’s look and feel. The “transportation” category assesses commuting time, public transit, and how easy it is to get into and out of each metro area by air, rail, and Interstate Highway. When Savageau sifts through all the categories, and all of the rankings, he comes up with his Top 40 metropolitan areas by mean score. The top ten are:
1. Pittsburgh, PA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Portland, OR
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Rochester, NY
7. Washington, DC
8. San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA
9. Boston, MA
10. Madison, WI
That ranking system is unique to the Places Rated Almanac. This year’s almanac, like its predecessors, provides what Savageau calls “a snapshot of a moving target.” That is, major areas are dynamic and don’t sit still for statistical portraits. Everyone loved to hate New York – until September 11, 2001. And everyone loved Louisiana and Mississippi – until Hurricane Katrina. “The dynamic nature of the metropolitan areas keeps Places Rated Almanac fresh, year after year,” Savageau explains. “And, since this is the first edition that I’m self-publishing, this might be my personal favorite edition of all. Of course, I’m still hoping that New York earns the number one metropolitan area slot in the future. Who knows? Maybe it will happen in the book’s next edition.”
Places Rated Almanac:
The Classic Guide for Finding Your Best Places to Live in America, 7th Edition
By David Savageau
Places Rated Books LLC/ISBN: 978-0-9793199-07
ISSN: 1526-517X
$24.99
www.placesrated.com "
*cheesy homerism mode on*
Behold the splendour of America's Most Livable City!
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/3Rivers4.jpg
photo credit: UrbaniDesDev
On a personal note... I REALLY like the Top 10... whatever methodology they used seems to really favor cities with fantastic urban environments... also interesting that most of the Top 10 metros are either extremely slow growing or shrinking in population... so I guess Americans don't have the same priorities for "livability" as PlacesRated Almanac...
1. Pittsburgh, PA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Portland, OR
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Rochester, NY
7. Washington, DC
8. San Jose - Sunnyvale, CA
9. Boston, MA
10. Madison, WI
...
379 (and last). Goldsboro, NC
PlacesRated used to be published by Rand McNally... they came out with a new edition every 4 years starting in 1981... this time they're self-published and it's the first ranking since 1999...
...
"About the Book
Oh, for San Francisco’s ambience, the job market in Las Vegas, for Miami’s winters and the safe streets of St. Paul. What about Salt Lake City skiing and Topeka’s affordable homes? Or, for that matter, Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museums and Washington’s convenient METRO? If you could snap your fingers and suddenly find yourself living somewhere else, would you?
This 7th (and 25th anniversary) edition of Places Rated Almanac is meant for people thinking of moving as well as for anyone who enjoys learning about cities and towns and what they have to offer.
Every one of America’s 379 metro areas is rated by things that are important to anyone considering a move. Places Rated Almanac has nine main sections:
Ambience compares cultural assets. Diversity, religion, and politics; historic districts; good bookstores; and good restaurants also go into the mix. Quick Takes:
• Most liberal: Yuma, Arizona
• Youngest: Jacksonville, North Carolina
• Most historic: Baltimore, Maryland
Housing reports prices for Starter, Move Up, and Elite houses, property taxes, and utilities. Also considered: Recent price appreciation and typical apartment rents. Quick Takes:
• Slowest home price appreciation: Lafayette, Indiana
• Most expensive Starter home: San Francisco
• Cheapest Elite home: Brownsville, Texas
Jobs reports local unemployment risks and job growth forecasts to the year 2015 in basic industries, especially the higher-paying ones like manufacturing, transportation, communications, and government. Quick Takes:
• Brightest forecast: Austin-Round Rock, Texas
• Blue-collar Blues: Danville, Virginia
Crime reports the average annual number of violent and property crimes per 100,000 people over the past 10 years and whether the trend is upward, downward or unchanged. Quick Takes:
• Dangerous resort: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Car theft capital: Fresno, CA
Transportation details commuting time, public transit, and how easy it is to get into and out of each metro area by air, rail, and interstate highway. Quick Takes:
• Shortest commute: Grand Forks, North Dakota
• Busiest International Gateway: LAX Los Angeles
Each metro area's public and private schools, its collection of colleges and universities, and its public libraries produce an Education rating. Quick Takes:
• Highest library use: Portland, Oregon
• Highest % parochial school pupils: Dubuque, Iowa
Health Care counts the supply of accredited hospitals and patient-treating physicians, plus special services like open-heart surgery and sports medicine. Quick Takes:
• Medically specialized metro: Rochester, Minnesota
• Medically generalized metro: Duluth, Minnesota
• Osteopathic metro area: Lansing, Michigan
Recreation also rates assets, from public golf courses and movie theatres, to zoos, professional sports, ocean coastlines, and national parks, forests, and wildlife acreage. Quick Takes:
• Top golf spot: Monroe, Michigan
• Most protected recreation land: Bellingham, WA
• Best metros for zoos: Chicago and San Diego
Climate is rated on mildness, that is, how close temperatures remain to 65° Fahrenheit throughout the year. Brightness and stability also are part of the rating. Quick Takes:
• Highest metro: Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Not for depressives: Bremerton, Washington
• Great summers: Portland, Maine and Oregon
662 pages, multiple maps, index, and a personalized quiz to help you determine the factors most important to you."
...
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stacey J. Miller
Telephone: 781/986-0732 or Email: sjmiller@bookpr.com
Déjà vu All Over Again?
The 25th Anniversary Edition of Places Rated Almanac Identifies the Best
Metropolitan Area in the United States!
“It’s Pittsburgh again,” sighs David Savageau, editor of the 25th Anniversary Edition of Places Rated Almanac: The Classic Guide for Finding Your Best Places to Live in America. “That’s the best metropolitan area in the United States. I was pulling for New York this time around, but it wasn’t to be. Alas.”
Don’t misunderstand Savageau. He’s fond of Pittsburgh. In 1985, when the almanac ranked it No. 1, the New York Times sent a reporter out to investigate the fuss: “With its breathtaking skyline, its scenic waterfront, its cozily vibrant downtown, its rich mixture of cultural amenities, its warm neighborhoods and its scrubbed-clean skies, it no longer is the smoky, smelly, gritty milltown of yesteryear,” he wrote back.
There are few places in the United States that Savageau — who has produced six editions of Places Rated Almanac before this one — hasn’t enjoyed visiting. “Each city is appealing in its own way. But there’s something special about New York,” he asserts. “It’s packed with polite people, and there’s always something to do there. And New Yorkers’ response to 9/11 was, of course, heroic and set an example for everyone else in the country. I do wish that New York had won the distinction of being the ‘best metropolitan area in the United States.’ But the statistics speak for themselves. Pittsburgh comes in first place, and New York – as well as New York’s fans and supporters — will have to settle for being number 18.” Savageau refuses to manipulate statistics to rig the outcome, but he’s glad to explain how the rating system works. There are 379 officially-defined metropolitan areas. Four out of five of us live in one of them.
Each of those metro areas is rated and ranked on nine factors that influence the quality of a place: ambience, housing, the local economy, transportation, education, health care, crime, recreation, and climate. For example, the “ambience” category includes such factors as good restaurants and bookstores, historic districts, cultural and artistic assets, and “people” features like diversity and politics that contribute to a place’s look and feel. The “transportation” category assesses commuting time, public transit, and how easy it is to get into and out of each metro area by air, rail, and Interstate Highway. When Savageau sifts through all the categories, and all of the rankings, he comes up with his Top 40 metropolitan areas by mean score. The top ten are:
1. Pittsburgh, PA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Seattle, WA
4. Portland, OR
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Rochester, NY
7. Washington, DC
8. San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA
9. Boston, MA
10. Madison, WI
That ranking system is unique to the Places Rated Almanac. This year’s almanac, like its predecessors, provides what Savageau calls “a snapshot of a moving target.” That is, major areas are dynamic and don’t sit still for statistical portraits. Everyone loved to hate New York – until September 11, 2001. And everyone loved Louisiana and Mississippi – until Hurricane Katrina. “The dynamic nature of the metropolitan areas keeps Places Rated Almanac fresh, year after year,” Savageau explains. “And, since this is the first edition that I’m self-publishing, this might be my personal favorite edition of all. Of course, I’m still hoping that New York earns the number one metropolitan area slot in the future. Who knows? Maybe it will happen in the book’s next edition.”
Places Rated Almanac:
The Classic Guide for Finding Your Best Places to Live in America, 7th Edition
By David Savageau
Places Rated Books LLC/ISBN: 978-0-9793199-07
ISSN: 1526-517X
$24.99
www.placesrated.com "
*cheesy homerism mode on*
Behold the splendour of America's Most Livable City!
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/3Rivers4.jpg
photo credit: UrbaniDesDev