Stevens Point Ranked 7th-best Small City In America (Superior: 2015, home)

[Mr. In-Between]

I've sung the praises of Stevens Point many times in this forum, and apparently I'm no longer as much in the minority as I once was. Nerdwallet has named Point as one of the Top Ten small cities to live in here in the United States. Out of 1300 small cities, Stevens Point came in at #7, using the criteria of economic stability, affordability, and quality of life. Here's what they say about Point -

7. Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Neighborhood gardens, free art exhibits and a vibrant downtown give Stevens Point a strong community vibe and contribute to the high quality of life. Almost 13% of the city’s residents walk to work, and the average commute time is about 15 minutes. With an average workweek of 33.4 hours, those living in this small riverfront city have time to enjoy the simple things in life, like a beer at one of the area’s many breweries or a bike ride along the Green Circle Trail.

The complete article is found here.

[Drover]

While I have nothing against SP, I have to admit my last couple of visits have left me wondering what all the fuss is about.

I went to college just down the highway from Terre Haute. There's a reason why "[t]he median home value hovers around $77,200" -- namely, the place is a bomb crater.

Meanwhile, my BIL and his wife just spent two years in Wooster OH and they couldn't wait to get the hell out.

[timberline742]

These all seem to have high poverty rates and low household incomes... I dunno.

[cheese plate]

Point is neither a "bomb crater" nor is it a top ten small town in America. It's a nice little Wisconsin college town that has a real downtown (though the Polish Square is more for drinkin' than anything else) and some nice nature integrated into it. I rate it a good bit higher than average, but it's not a premium US spot, either.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by cheese plate

Point is neither a "bomb crater" nor is it a top ten small town in America. It's a nice little Wisconsin college town that has a real downtown (though the Polish Square is more for drinkin' than anything else) and some nice nature integrated into it. I rate it a good bit higher than average, but it's not a premium US spot, either.

Well he was speaking of Terre Haute re the bomb crater comment, and its pretty close, honestly. I used to have to stay over there once a week while traveling to Southern Indiana and Western KY.

[cheese plate]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Well he was speaking of Terre Haute re the bomb crater comment, and its pretty close, honestly. I used to have to stay over there once a week while traveling to Southern Indiana and Western KY.

Sure, but he was saying he was in Point, was unimpressed, and then compared it to Terre Haute. Hard not to see his comments in that light.

[Drover]

I did not compare it to Terre Haute. My comments about Terre Haute and Wooster were meant to cast suspicion on this list of supposedly "best" small towns to live in.

I mean, how did Superior end up on this list yet Duluth is omitted entirely? Have you ever known anyone who's been up that way and came back saying, "I really wish I could relocate my family to Superior, but man, forget about Duluth"?

[cheese plate]

Gotcha, my bad!

[Mr. In-Between]

Duluth is probably too gargantuan. The population cutoff is 75,000, and the sprawling metropolis of Duluth is close to 90K if I recall correctly.

[MKEastsider]

It's 2015... haven't we figured out by now how arbitrary and useless city-based listicles are?

As far as Stevens Point. I don't know what would have to happen for me to want to be there, but I don't think it's a terrible place to live. The university means there's more to do than just the typical Central Wisconsin fare.