Livability.com recently released its second-annual Top 100 Best Places to Live list. They claim that the list is the culmination of months of exclusive research into what factors most influence the livability of America’s small to mid-sized cities.
More than 2,000 cities were evaluated and they analyzed more than 40 data points grouped into eight categories – economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and health care.
“The cities at the top of the list were often home to a major institution like a university, hospital or state capital,” says Matt Carmichael, Livability’s editor. “Institutions like that help these smaller cities compete in terms of sports, culture, jobs and entertainment.”
So where does Bend sit in this list…at 76, a number that seems odd when you look at the 75 cities that are supposedly more livable that Bend.
Above Bend on the list is Tampa, Florida at 71 touting a professional sports team that gives Tampa residents plenty to cheer for.
At 65 is Cedar Rapids, Iowa known to be an economic hub with successful industry sectors such as grain processing, technology and education.
Oregon finally makes it higher on the list with Corvallis at 69 with Oregon State University and companies like Hewlett-Packard, Samaritan Health Services and Siga Technologies applauded.
Then comes Ashland at 60 home to Southern Oregon University as well as the annual Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
But this list likes hot, muggy places as Miami Beach is number 38 with its sultry beaches, sizzling restaurants, wild nightclubs and the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world.
Booming Fargo, North Dakota at 22 is home to North Dakota State University and several museums and theatres, and the city’s economy centers upon retail, food processing, technology and industry.
At 20 is Eugene, another university town.
Number four is not surprising Boulder, Colorado, home to a burgeoning economy, the University of Colorado and all its arts and culture offerings.
The second most livable city is Rochester, Minnesota with the Mayo Clinic and vibrant arts culture. The third Arlington, Virginia known worldwide for Arlington National Cemetery that was established during the Civil War and its largest employer, the Government of the U.S., with 34,000 employees.
And the most livable city in the country – Madison, Wisconsin because…it’s both a capitol city and a hip college town.
Just wondering where Bend would be on this crafted list of livable cities if it had a four year university?
