A new listing of the best U.S. cities by a well-known consulting group has put the Big Apple back on top again.
Resonance Consultancy? has named New York City the best city in the U.S. for the seventh year in a row. But California swept the top ten with four placements, including Los Angeles in the number two spot and San Francisco taking the bronze medal.
Resonance ranked cities based on six factors: place, programming, prosperity, product, people and promotion. Those, in turn, included other issues, including safety, museums, restaurants, nightlife and Fortune 500 companies.
Note: This ranking is not based on the best cities for tourists to visit. Instead, the list is billed as the place to “live, work, invest and visit in America now.” The attractiveness of a city for tourists is part of the equation, but only part.
New York City. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Here’s the top ten, along with a bit of what they had to say about each city.
- New York City. “After a hellish two years, few places on the planet are as ready to relaunch as NYC.” The city was ranked first in both product and programming.
- Los Angeles. “The City of Angels fell from great heights. But Angelenos are helping L.A. take flight once more.” L.A. was ranked first for restaurants and second for promotion.
- San Francisco. “Job opportunities and infrastructure buildout pave the way as the world continues to rush in, despite the haters.” SF was ranked second for household income and people.
- Chicago. “America’s great Midwest metropolis has an abundance of programming and culture, with the deep infrastructure and affordability that eludes many other cities.” The Windy City was ranked first for connectivity and second for nightlife.
- Washington ,D.C. “America’s intriguing capital city has the world’s attention—and is working to keep it.” DC was ranked first for google searches and second for educational attainment.
- San Diego. “Southern California’s urban ideal offers free sunshine and the epic outdoors. Steps from home and office, across two borders.” The city was ranked first for parks and sixth for attractions.
- Las Vegas. “COVID-19 decimated Sin City, but its resilience and response will
define it for decades.” Vegas was ranked first for attractions (I can see being second, but how does Vegas top New York for attractions?) and first for weather (better weather than San Diego? What?). - San Jose. “Talent, smarts and money are a potent mix that has insulated San Jose from economic devastation while allowing its citizens to be bold with recovery.” San Jose was ranked first for both people and household income.
- Boston. “America’s oldest big city has never been more current.” Boston was ranked at the top for universities and fourth for educational attainment.
- Miami. “Miami’s creativity is powered by its arms-wide-open acceptance of newcomers.” Miami was ranked first for foreign-born population and second for Instagram hashtags.
THE NEXT 15
Houston
Seattle
Atlanta
Dallas
Austin
Orlando
Denver
Honolulu
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Provo, Utah
Minneapolis
Salt Lake City
Raleigh, North Carolina
Portland, Oregon
