Washington DC is #3 for most liveable city? (best city, real estate)
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It's official: Pittsburgh is the most liveable city in the U.S. | News In Brief | Marketplace from American Public Media (http://www.publicradio.org/columns/marketplace/business-news-briefs/2011/02/its_official_pittsburg_is_1_in.html - broken link)
That's a real seemingly random hodgepodge of cities. I don't know whether cost of living was taken into account, but it's difficult to imagine Pittsburgh beating out Honolulu, for instance. A place like Minneapolis is a fine city, but the weather is abysmal. And what is Detroit doing there? Meanwhile, cities that are often considered places that offer high quality of life--San Fran/Bay Area, San Diego, Denver--are absent.
...and so on. Anyway, I think DC offers a very high quality of life, but I don't know whether it's number three. But this is a very curious list, so who knows.
How do you measure a liveable city? All of the top 10 cities in the survey have questionable "liveable" standards.
1. Pittsburgh.
There's a reason why some people call D.C. "Steel City on the Potomac". Starting in the 1980s and continuing to this day, there was a mass exodus of seasoned working-age adults and recent college graduates to the Metro DC region from Pittsburgh and its satellite towns. The manufacturing economy in western Pennsylvania collapsed and many small businesses were destroyed in the process. Home values crashed to the bottom. Jobless. Broke. The Yinzers found fortune and job stability in Northern Virginia/DC/Montgomery County, MD.
One final point: Penn State graduates make a bee-line to Washington, DC for jobs for a reason. If you compare the entire PSU alumni roster between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC...guess which chapter has a larger membership?
2. Honolulu.
Beautiful weather every day. Friendly Hawaiian people. Gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean. But the cost of living in Honolulu would make a Manhattanite wince.
3. Washington, DC
No comment.
4. Chicago.
Great city. Plenty of fun activities within city limits. You got Lake Michigan. Wrigley Field. Deep-dish pizza. Da Bears. Cheaper real estate than the cities on the West and East Coasts. But the extremely cold winters and blazing hot summers challenge the liveable aspect of the city. Plus, the nasal-Chicago accents can be annoying to the ears.
5. Atlanta.
Affordable real estate. The city has lots to offer in the way of cultural activities. A rich and vibrant black community--if not the largest city in the US with a thriving black population.
But there is too much sprawl and an inefficient public transportation system. The downtown is dead most evenings. Steamy hot in the summer just like DC.
6. Miami.
Warm weather all year round. Awesome beaches. Lots of fun water activities. Beautiful models and tourists from Latin America and Europe come to Miami on vacation. A huge ex-pat community of South Americans live there.
But seriously...how does Miami make this list? The real estate bubble collapse has completely devastated the Miami regional economy. Violent criminal activity is widespread through out the city. The level of political corruption in Miami-Dade County would put Chicago to shame. Blech!
7. Detroit.
Huh? I can see the Motor City making the liveable Top 10 IF this survey was conducted in 1950. The only liveable aspect of Detroit is the dollar-cheap real estate in the city. You can buy a three-bedroom house with a garage and a yard for LESS than your annual salary in Detroit. That's the only positive benefit associated with this city.
Otherwise, Detroit is the perfect example of a dying city. The ravages of global capitalism and state politicians putting all their eggs in one basket (making the economy revolve around the auto industry) was the city's death knell.
8. Boston.
Another great city. For my money, the most "European" city in the USA. You don't need a car because of the dense neighborhoods and good public transit. You come across a high number of intellectuals teaching and learning at some the best educational institutions in the nation and the world. Best sports city in the country: Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins.
The only drawback to Beantown is the cost of living. Damn expensive to live there.
9. Seattle.
Seriously...how does Pittsburgh and Detroit rank higher than Seattle? You got awesome views of Mount Rainier and Olympic Mountains. You got Puget Sound and Lake Washington if you like kayaking or fishing. The people are pretty chill in Seattle but they are also well educated and pretty cultured. You don't need a car if you live in Seattle.
The only negative is the Groundhog Day nightmare of never-ending cloudy and drizzly days from October to March. The summers are gorgeous though.
10. Minneapolis.
I don't know much about Minneapolis. I think St. Paul should be lumped into the equation because the state capital is the BETTER half of the Twin Cities. I suppose the crime rates are fairly low and the housing costs are reasonable there. I have met plenty of people from the Twin Cities and they are hospitable and chatty.
But who can endure a full winter in Minnesota? Too many days of sub-zero temps with nasty wind chill for my taste. I also hear that the lack of a good public transportation system is a drawback in the Twin Cities.
I don't know much about Atlanta, but otherwise the list seems pretty good to me (in a very rough way, obviously). I am not the slightest bit surprised about Pittsburgh. I moved a lot as a child (20 times before I was 18), and Pittsburgh was by far the most liveable place, except for the cold. My husband also moved a lot as a child and did a stint in Pittsburgh and feels the same way. It really is quite an awesome city and extraordinarily liveable.
Any list that has Detroit as one of the most liveable cities has no credibility whatsoever. And I say that as someone who has both parents from the state of Michigan and is a Michigan fan.
I didn't go to the website to see what their criteria were, but when I think of livable cities, I think of jobs, crime and culture.
I think in jobs and culture, DC has a huge advantage. Especially in the culture department, obviously, DC is the best city in America when you talk about things to do on any given day with their sports and museum offerings.
The crime in most if the city is the only thing that would keep me from thinking it should be so high up on the livability list. One side note though is I saw an article listing DC as either the 3rd or 4th most walkable city in America, that might have something to do with the livability factor.
Pittsburgh is legitimately a great city to live in, but Detroit is barely survivable. I'm a big DC fan, but I don't think we belong in the top 10 either. This list is suspect.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coldbliss
One final point: Penn State graduates make a bee-line to Washington, DC for jobs for a reason. If you compare the entire PSU alumni roster between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC...guess which chapter has a larger membership?
How about I take the guesswork out of your completely inaccurate shot in the dark:
DC: 1,555
Pittsburgh: 24,244
In anticipation of a 'Virgina/Maryland defense-IT corrupt suburban yuppie PSU contractor' post, I should mention that Pittsburgh also has more alum than either of those states.
How do you measure a liveable city? All of the top 10 cities in the survey have questionable "liveable" standards.
1. Pittsburgh.
There's a reason why some people call D.C. "Steel City on the Potomac". Starting in the 1980s and continuing to this day, there was a mass exodus of seasoned working-age adults and recent college graduates to the Metro DC region from Pittsburgh and its satellite towns. The manufacturing economy in western Pennsylvania collapsed and many small businesses were destroyed in the process. Home values crashed to the bottom. Jobless. Broke. The Yinzers found fortune and job stability in Northern Virginia/DC/Montgomery County, MD.
Is this like the Acadians moving from Canada to Louisiana and, if so, do we get something good to eat out of it?
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