From San Francisco's fog-covered, cable car studded hills to Portland's laid back living, Businessweek.com compiled the top 50 best cities to live in America. With help from Bloomberg Rankings, Businessweek evaluated 100 of America's largest cities based on leisure--aspects like number of restaurants, bars, libraries, museums--and education, economic factors such as unemployment rates, as well as crime and air quality.
Here are the top five:
San Francisco
San Francisco's picturesque rolling hills, artisan restaurants and bakeries, trendy bars, museums, and great education system are all a reason why the city by the bay is Businessweek's number one pick.
Population: 808,854
Bars: 394
Restaurants: 3,430
Museums: 70
Libraries: 52
Pro sports teams: 2
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 7
Colleges: 17
Percent with graduate degree: 16
Median household income: $90,640
Percent unemployed: 7.8
Seattle
The Northwestern city of Seattle came in at number two. The city boasts myriad coffee shops, a stellar music and nightlife scene not to mention a laid back vibe hard to emulate. With its beautiful location on the water and greenery, Businessweek believes it to be an ideal place to live despite the rain.
Population: 624,070
Bars: 219
Restaurants: 2,307
Museums: 29
Libraries: 42
Pro sports teams: 4
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 9
Colleges: 8
Percent with graduate degree: 16.8
Median household income: $90,303
Percent unemployed: 7.2
Washington DC
Known for politics, DC also has a somewhat underrated leisure scene. With lively areas of town such as Foggy Bottom and Logan circle and Georgetown to the Smithsonian Museum, DC is a cultural center in America making it number three on the list.
Population: 607,731
Bars: 134
Restaurants: 2,066
Museums: 108
Libraries: 88
Pro sports teams: 5
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 12
Colleges: 17
Percent with graduate degree: 19.6
Median household income: $72,110
Percent unemployed: 9.1
Boston
With its blend of history, nightlife and education Businessweek dubs Boston its number four pic. It also boasts a great education system with over 22 universities.
Population: 615,462
Bars: 136
Restaurants: 2,064
Museums: 51
Libraries: 54
Pro sports teams: 3
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 8
Colleges: 22
Percent with graduate degree: 13.8
Median household income: $62,180
Percent unemployed: 6.6
Portland
Laid back and quirky, Portland is Businessweek's number five pick. Beloved for its local food and drink scene, with a stellar art and music culture, Portland is a small city with a lot to love.
Population: 598,205
Bars: 313
Restaurants: 2,084
Museums: 20
Libraries: 23
Pro sports teams: 2
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 25
Colleges: 16
Percent with graduate degree: 11.8
Median household income: $65,554
Percent unemployed: 7.9
Median household income: $90,303
Percent unemployed: 7.2
See the full list of 50 here.
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