CL Best Cities

[Taeler]

I just got my CL and San Diego is not in the top 20 Best Cities?! How can this be? We are known for the most perfect weather in the world (that's not an exaggeration either) and everyone lives off of rabbit food cause half of them don't have enough sense to wear actual clothing (they just run around in various sized pieces of string). And we have beautiful Balboa Park, the most awesome zoo (a total workout) and the wild animal park (both dedicated to preservation and education). Then we have the gaslamp district downtown with exceptional restaurants and shopping. Yet Las Vegas and Minneapolis made the list?! Come on! :mad:

[stacy7272]

Weather is terribly important to me as well so I don't always think the cities they list are all that great but lists like these usually take into account job opportunities, school systems, and the like. I haven't seen the list so I don't know about that one but sometimes things that aren't important to you will be very important to the list makers.

San Diego is very expensive for one thing. That would count against it.

[mcgee]

I just got my CL and San Diego is not in the top 20 Best Cities?! How can this be? We are known for the most perfect weather in the world (that's not an exaggeration either) and everyone lives off of rabbit food cause half of them don't have enough sense to wear actual clothing (they just run around in various sized pieces of string). And we have beautiful Balboa Park, the most awesome zoo (a total workout) and the wild animal park (both dedicated to preservation and education). Then we have the gaslamp district downtown with exceptional restaurants and shopping. Yet Las Vegas and Minneapolis made the list?! Come on! :mad:

I haven't seen the article (haven't received Dec. or Jan yet )so don't know what criteria they used to come up with the list but, perhaps the high cost of living was a factor.

But I'm right there with ya - I looove San Diego. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area but would move to San Diego in a heartbeat.

[mcgeiger]

And they put St Louis in the top 20 Have they been to St. Louis? Have they seen the people, the smoke, the overall horrible-for-you food (yes there are some good places, but they are not average), the lack of bike lanes outside of Forest Park????

[sarah2397]

I have not seen the list but agree that San Diego is a great city. It's in my top 20!

[Grace]

I agree about St. Louis making the list. I saw that and thought I haven't been in a few years so I wondered if maybe things had changed recently? Apparently not - gotta wonder about that particular selection.....

[Varaile]

What's wrong with Minneapolis? Minnesota was recently rated the healthiest state in the nation by...drat, I forget which magazine. :mad:

Minneapolis and St. Paul have a huge network of biking/running/hiking trails, lots of places to swim in the summer, great food, and a thriving arts community to mention just a few great things. Even the winter activities are outdoor related with ice fishing, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing being very popular. And the Twin Cities are within easy driving distance to a number of state parks and long distance biking trails.

Though I must admit I am surprised that San Franscico was omitted and St. Louis added!

Could somebody post the top 20 and some of the criteria they used? Maybe that would help clear up some of the confusion.

[Taeler]

What's wrong with Minneapolis? Minnesota was recently rated the healthiest state in the nation by...drat, I forget which magazine. :mad: . . .

Could somebody post the top 20 and some of the criteria they used? Maybe that would help clear up some of the confusion.

Forgive me, I knew I'd offend, but really . . . San Diego vs. Minneapolis

Here is the list in order from 1 to 20:

Seattle
Portland
Washington, D.C.
Minneapolis
San Francisco
Boston
Denver
Milwaukee (what is this about )
Philadelphia
Tucson (careful not to get sucked into any supernatural vortex here!)
Baltimore
Coloradon Springs
Pittsburgh (see Milwaukee)
St. Louis
New York
Atlanta
Austin
Las Vegas (don't even get me started, this is quite possibly my least favorite)
Kansas City

[SugarNSpice]

Taeler: I'm sure some people on this board really love Minneapolis and maybe even Milwaukee....I even like Las Vegas Maybe San Diego didn't make the list because there are thousands of cities considered and only 20 spots available.

[Robyn1007]

Taeler: I'm sure some people on this board really love Minneapolis and maybe even Milwaukee....I even like Las Vegas Maybe San Diego didn't make the list because there are thousands of cities considered and only 20 spots available.

I agree. Some may think San Diego's weather is perfect but personally, I would hate it because I like winter. I think it's very hard to judge a city based on perceptions, short visits and such as they don't give a true representation of what living there is like.

I am proud that two Colorado cities made the list and it is obvious when you live here. Most people are very active and even though I regularly ski and in the summer bike and swim I still feel like a lazy bum at times. In Denver there is a great restaurant and night life scene and they are actively growing the museum community (they just opened a new building a few months ago). I don't know what the criteria were (and I don't have my magazine here and haven't even opened it yet) so it's hard to say why San Diego didn't make it and other places did.

[stefania4]

My guess is that they have neither a large advertising client nor subscriber base in San Diego (and at least one of those two in St. Louis). Atlanta - my home - is plenty nice, BUT we have terrible air quality that literally sends me to the ER every July and August.

[jjsooner73]

I'm for one glad my city didn't turn up on the list. I don't want the secret to get out.


There are quite a few cities on there that I feel are nice places to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. I'd think San Diego's biggest drawback is the cost. I surely couldn't afford to own a house out there, at least not anywhere I'd want to live. We all have different preferences, which could explain the all very different cities--warm/cool, southern/northern, oceans/landlocked, etc.

[Canice]

These lists are generally meaningless because:

1. they're meaningless
2. as others have said, people have different tastes (I'm one who would choose Minneapolis over San Diego)
3. the criteria used may not be your own criteria
4. there's no room for nuance in these things
5. see reason #1

[cookieee]

I just got my CL and San Diego is not in the top 20 Best Cities?! How can this be? We are known for the most perfect weather in the world (that's not an exaggeration either) and everyone lives off of rabbit food cause half of them don't have enough sense to wear actual clothing (they just run around in various sized pieces of string). And we have beautiful Balboa Park, the most awesome zoo (a total workout) and the wild animal park (both dedicated to preservation and education). Then we have the gaslamp district downtown with exceptional restaurants and shopping. Yet Las Vegas and Minneapolis made the list?! Come on! :mad:

And don't forget the nicest man on the BB, your own Sandy eggo Mike (Hammster)

[SusanMac]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is this a list of? Best cities for what? Most magazines produce best cities for x (best for working moms, best for single life, best for entrepreneurs, best for outdoor sports). Since it's CL, I assume it's food related, but it could be grocery stores, restaurants, cooking groups, etc.

Can someone fill me in?

(P.S. I agree that San Diego doens't have perfect weather. Weather is a totally relative/subjective thing! And, while I hate Las Vegas, they have some phenomenal dining, so if that's what the list is, then I'm not surprised)

[tbb113]

Well...since they have SF, Washington DC, and NY on the list, cost of living surely wasn't included in their criteria

[JLS]

Baltimore ??? I don't get how Baltimore could be ranked higher than Austin or Atlanta

[Kevlar]

The happiest day of my life was eighteen years ago, when we moved from Pittsburgh to San Diego county. Not that Pittsburgh isn't a lovely city with excellent education, medicine, great restaurants, culture, sports teams, etc, but the gray skies day after day were so hard to take.
Yesterday morning, I went for a run and later on started pruning my roses. What a perfect way to start the new year. Today the sky was again what I call "relentless blue." I am holding off on pruning some of the roses because they are still blooming!
Having grown up in Baltimore and lived all over the country, I have experienced plenty of seasons and shoveled many tons of snow. I guess I am lucky to live in a place where people come for vacation.

[Gumbeaux]

The choice of some of these cities is just not right.

[Kristilyn1]

I guess I am lucky to live in a place where people come for vacation.

I'm really glad you love your adopted home, but ummm, most of us live in areas where people come to vacation?! All year long even. We even run outside all year too! Again, not trying to knock your place----I think it's a fantastic area as well, but your take on it being perfect weather is purely subjective. Also, the traffic alone in Southern CA to me, makes it probably one of the last places I would want to live. But then, that's one of more than a few reasons why I don't live in Boston either!

Kristi

[Taeler]

Writing is a tricky thing, and a couple of you sound a little ticked, just a friendly reminder that most everyone loves their hometown, and a good many people simply can't stand other places! Don't take it too seriously

On another note, did I mention that San Diego totally should have been #1

I'll trade the traffic for the perfect weather any day

[Robyn1007]

Writing is a tricky thing, and a couple of you sound a little ticked, just a friendly reminder that most everyone loves their hometown, and a good many people simply can't stand other places! Don't take it too seriously

On another note, did I mention that San Diego totally should have been #1

I'll trade the traffic for the perfect weather any day

I think that what got me and others ticked is the negative comments about other cities. Saying you love San Diego and don't understand why it wasn't in the top 20 is very different than saying "careful not to get sucked into any supernatural vortex here!" regarding another city.

Oh, and I put up with challenges as well for what I believe is the perfect weather. (Says the woman who's been through 2 blizzards in 2 weeks, which is truly abnormal.)

[Goin' Coastal]

HMMM............nothing from Ohio.. Go figure.

[VictoriaL]

The happiest day of my life was eighteen years ago, when we moved from Pittsburgh to San Diego county.

You actually moved from Pittsburgh to San Diego?!?! How on earth did you manage not to die from happiness? Yes, I agree with the city's plusses but, for heavens sake, we get an average of 110 sunny days per year. And, walk down any street in almost part of the city-- unhealthy restaurants and lots of overweight people. Sure, we now have a Whole Foods and a TJs, but try to find a decent place to eat where you don't have to special request a relatively healthy meal.

Nope, this Pittsburgher (who has lived in the area for 25 years) says that there absolutely has to be better out there! CL wasn't looking too hard, were they?

[Canice]

I don't know which suprises me more, that you genuinely do not understand what's offensive in your comments, for example:

Forgive me, I knew I'd offend, but really . . . San Diego vs. Minneapolis

or that you put it down to "Writing is a tricky thing". As Robyn noted, saying, "Hey I *love* my hometown!" is one thing, feeling compelled to make unpleasant comments about other places to underscore your point is something else all together. It's really not tricky at all.

As you put it, "just a friendly reminder that most everyone loves their hometown...."

[Curiosity Hears]

You actually moved from Pittsburgh to San Diego?!?! How on earth did you manage not to die from happiness? Yes, I agree with the city's plusses but, for heavens sake, we get an average of 110 sunny days per year. And, walk down any street in almost part of the city-- unhealthy restaurants and lots of overweight people. Sure, we now have a Whole Foods and a TJs, but try to find a decent place to eat where you don't have to special request a relatively healthy meal.

Nope, this Pittsburgher (who has lived in the area for 25 years) says that there absolutely has to be better out there! CL wasn't looking too hard, were they?

Victoria, I must respectfully disagree with you. I am proudly from Pittsburgh and I really love it there. In my opinion it does deserve to be on the list it has much to offer. While I did move to southern California almost twenty years ago, I really miss it back there. The first ten years by the beach were great. Now I live a little further inland. As I get older I find I really miss the change of seasons and sometimes there can be just too much sunshine.

[Taeler]

Wow Robyn and Canice, I didn't even think of you guys when I said some people sounded ticked (And I mean that in all seriousness). In fact, Canice, I thought you hit the nail on the head with your first post (about these "best of" lists being meaningless) and I was just having a little fun. I think this suddenly got way too serious. There was a fairly obvious air of "Oh my ball team is better than yours! Go Lakers, Boo, boo "X" team" going on in lots of replies. Well, since you guys were so offended I offer you an apology.

[Hammster]

And don't forget the nicest man on the BB, your own Sandy eggo Mike (Hammster)

Aw, gee thanks Cookieee.

I need to read that article and see what the criteria are so I can understand why certain cities were picked.
Altho, I must agree with Taelor, we do have a great city here. Dining isn't as great as some cities, but better than others.

[PAMMELA]

Plano didn't make the list???

[Gumbeaux]

Obviously, the cost of living and real estate prices weren't considered. Some of the cities listed you'd have to be a millionaire to live there.

In my area you can buy a 2,700 sq. ft house on a two acre wooded lot, in a nice neighborhood for $160,000. Gasoline sells for $2.10 a gallon and the average commute is only 15-20 minutes.