What cities showed up on your list of "best places"? How do those results mesh with your actual living situation, or the places you think you'd like to live?

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

Answers

My top ten cities were: Long Island; Boston; Bergen Pasaic, NJ; Middlesex, NJ; Danburry, CT; Nashua, NH; New York, NY; Washington DC; Monmouth-Ocean, NJ; Stamford, CT; and Newark, NJ.

That all sounds nice to me, I am currently living in Austin, Texas. I hear there (up in New England) they actually get snow. Must be nice.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

My top place was San Francisco which is a city I associate with dying and going to heaven. From there on the list was full of places I don't even like to visit, much less live. Places like Los Angeles and Pittsburg. A city I have lived in and loved dearly, Santa Cruz/Watsonville is number 40 on my list. The place I am living now, Davis, and the city I am moving to next year, Monterey, are nowhere to be found. My problem is I love big city amenities but I either want to be in the heart of the city (love downtown Sac) or in a smaller place within striking distance of said big city but not part of the suburban sprawl. Santa Cruz Si! San Jose No!

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

My top 5 were San Francisco, Boston, Long Island, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. I live in Portland, OR & love it, but it didn't show up on the list at all.
I loved San Francisco when I went to college in the Bay Area, but when I went back for my 10 year reunion last fall, it didn't feel like a place I'd want to live now. Admittedly, the reunion kept my busy, so I didn't get the chance to visit The City itself, but the peninsula seemed to be suffering from Too Much Money.


-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

We missed you, Beth!

I'm living in my #2 city, Boston. My #1 is San Francisco -- I've never been there, but I've always wanted to visit.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

well Boston was #1. which is where I grew up.. but what I'm most annoyed with is there was no demographic section. It's really important to me to live in a racially diverse and integrated area, and there was no way to include that. so Boston was #1, Rochester MN was #2... not that I've been to that particular part of Minnesota, but still...

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

Well, the test was geared to finding cities & metro areas, and my dream is to live someplace rural but near to cities, like the Santa Cruz mountatains.

I got San Francisco as #1, and I just moved away from there for various reasons. I don't like the climate or the density. Then Orange County, San Jose (near where I live now), LA/Long Beach, Long Island (where'd that come from?), San Diego, Boston, Oakland, someplace in New Jersey, Santa Rosa, some other place in New Jersey.

Basically I don't ever want to move away from California, so this test isn't gonna help me much.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

Boston was my number one as well. Long Island came in second for me. San Francisco was number three. I would consider living in Boston or LI (I rather like Long Island, I can't quite explain why, but I do) but I would never, ever want to live in SF. Maybe it's because everyone I've ever met who moved to SF turned flaky on me.

My hometown, Chicago, was my number 10. It would have been nice to see it higher on the list, I really love Chicago.

My list featured a high concentration of places in the northeast. Maybe it was the importance I gave to such things as well-stocked libraries and good universities.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

Where I live is #46 - maybe I need to move.

Top - San Francisco Then we hit Long Island, Boston (I always thought about moving there), LA (yick!), San Jose, Oakland, San Diego, & Washington D.C. - another place I've always wanted to live.

The big picture looks like I'm destined for CA.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

Predictably enough: Boston, New York, DC, San Francisco and Chicago are the top five.

I've lived in three out of the five. I still dream of living in New York, though living in Boston again as an adult has become less important to me as I've gotten older.

Chicago is one of the places that I wouldn't _mind_ living in, but its distance from the ocean is vaguely disconcerting ... even if the lake is the size of a small inland sea.

This test also doesn't cover the rest of the world, so other places I'd think were cool to live in, like Geneva, Paris, London, Dublin and Melbourne don't show up in the results.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

#1 was San Francisco. I can only assume they didn't read my answers At All- I hate cold foggy climates and crime everywhere (I'm afraid to walk down the street in SF), and I know I'd never be able to afford it. Like someone else said, I only want to live in CA, so this wasn't entirely helpful...the next closest was LA at number ten. Cities I'd actually live in were around middle to bottom, which is depressing. I think I'll just end up where I am now. And Eileen- I live there too, and I don't think Davis counts as a metro area to well, anyone who counts metro areas.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

Hey Jennifer, hail fellow Davisite! You're right, it is a big small town, but it is quite handy to several metro areas. Close but separate, just the way I like it.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

I'm living in my #10 metro area, Minneapolis/St. Paul. I find this endlessly ironic, because good public transit was one of the few things I ranked as absolutely most important, and I don't consider the Twin Cities' aging, slow, intermittent, inefficient, and often simply absent bus system to be anywhere near "good." My top three cities are Boston, San Francisco, and NYC, which sound much closer to the mark for me-- I'm actually planning on moving to NYC for grad school. It's kind of gratifying to know that someone (or someTHING, as the case may be) agrees that it'll be a good place for me.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2000

Do ya'll see all the San Fran ones??????? Coincidence???? (Maybe someone in San Francisco's urban planning committee wrote it :-)

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Hey, cool. I already live in my #1 pick: Long Island, NY.

This was followed by Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and others.

I actually chose either "ignore" or "least important" for most of the questions, so I hadn't thought they really had enough to go on. About the only thing I felt strongly about was the need for well-stocked libraries...

Umm, wait. On second thought, I just clicked on the "Long Island" link and noticed that they're defining it as Nassau and Suffolk counties, rather than the entire geographic region, which would include Queens, where I am. Hmmph. New York City's ranked #48 for me. Whatever.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

My top ten: Boston, Long Island, Washington, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, San Franciso, Denver, Rochester (MN), Pittsburgh.

Philadelphia, my current locale, was #11.

Weather is a key factor for me. Don't like the heat/humidity at all, which I think would let out Washington, DC, and NYC. (I hate the summer weather in Philadelphia.)

Yay, Boston. I would like to live in New England again. I'm a Yankee, through and through.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Top Ten Cities (All in Northwest Florida)

1. Alligator Point 2. Panacea 3. Carrabelle 4. Camp Butler, where Gore Vidal wrote Williwaw. St. Theresa Beach? 5. Appalachicola 6. Port St. Joe 7. Nut All Rise 8. Sopchoppy 9. Hogtown Bayou 10. Two Egg

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Beth, welcome back! I missed you.

My number one was San Francisco, followed by Long Island, DC, Boston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and New York. I know I'll never be able to afford San Francisco, but I'd love to live in DC again. I was there for twelve years. It has huge drawbacks, of course, but many advantages, like museums, theaters, restaurants. I'd prefer to live in town, to avoid the hellish traffic, and to enjoy the city life. The Metro is great. Raleigh/Durham, where I live, was #28. It's nice here, but very, um, churchy. (Don't get me wrong, Raleigh is like Gomorrah compared to the rest of the state!) Everyone here is real polite, but not especially tolerant, I notice.

I notice they didn't have the demographic content, 'cuz I'd definitely rule out a place where the local accent can curdle milk and shatter glass (Long Island and environs). And, Shmuel, I lived in Syracuse for 19 years. Don't. Go. There.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Note all the Boston occurences? Eh? Yeah, that's cause Boston rocks. I love Boston, and indeed, it was my number 1, and indeed, I live in this lovely burg called Boston. Yay, Boston!

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

San Francisco, which like everyone else I love (except that such a densely crowded city doesn't seem ideal to me); then DC (which is a joke--I've *been* there in the summer); Boston (whose proximity to my mother outweighs its proximity to my sister); Long Island (you'd better believe they wouldn't include the western end of the "island": Levittown, anyone?); and then NYC (tolerable only in spring and fall). Seattle (which I liked while it didn't rain) sixth and Denver (where I am) 35th. That must be because I ranked "coast" highest.

The poll's first question, about climate, doesn't offer New England's, which--in my pre-global warming memory--is ideal: four seasons of regular length: cold warm hot cool. So ha, I say, ha! Then I moved to Denver and learned the joys of negative humidity: no lakes and fires all over (two in the mountains right now, one set by lightning and the other by a stupid camper).

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Hmm, I chose low crime rate as high on the list of importance, and I got San Fran, Long Island, Boston, LA and DC. (Boston?? Didn't I click on mild winters???) I chose coatline as very important, and rivers and lakes. I live in OH right now, and I miss the water like you have no idea. Landlocked, bad bad bad. My hometown of Houston was 71, but Dallas was in the top 20.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

San Francisco, Boston, Long Island, and LA/Long Beach were my top four. (I've forgotten the fifth.)

I currently live in Austin, Tx, which didn't even appear in the 51 cities on my list, which I find to be odd, since it has so much of what I considered important. (Aside from the nicer climate of southern California.) Still, moving to Austin was a very conscious decision for my husband and myself, and we did it because we love this city.

So, I doubt we'll be moving to the west coast any time soon.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

#1- San Francisco. And if you're limiting this to the US, I guess that's probably right. Followed by LA (blech), Boston, Oakland, Seattle, San Jose, DC, Long Island, San Diego, Santa Cruz, New York. The places I've been of those, I like well enough (except L.A.). San Luis Obispo is at #23, Sacramento is #40.

For places I _have_ lived, Davis is tops by far. I still can't handle the summer valley heat, though. I think I'd like to live in St. Petersburg, but I'm not sure I would live through my first winter. Same for Moscow. But decent public transportation is high on my list (and nonexistant around Sac).

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Eileen: Yup, I like that bout Davis too...I just wish taking the (Yolo)bus into Sacramento reached more stops than two (or so). And preferably, stops on the other side of town that I actually need to go to on occasion...

Ashley: I'll bet you really enjoyed today then, huh? (I lucked out to be in a frigid building all day...home now is kinda icky)

Everyone else: Yes, I think SF being a top choice was way rigged! That and I really don't think the thing paid any attention to climate.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Number one for me: San Francisco. Number 4? Los Angeles. Number 6? San Jose.

I've always longed for California. I'm thrilled with these results. Not that i'm actually going to move, but now i can dream even more.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

most of the places I've lived before (including Denver, Baltimore, even Johnson City, TN) came up in my top 40 cities, but my #1 was (Surprise!) San Francisco. Too bad I'd never be able to afford to live there. The city I live in now, Phoenix, didn't even make the cut, and I love it here! my top 5 cities had cold winters (New York, Boston, SF,Seattle and Provo? which I refuse to subject myself to ever again.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

well boston then sa fran got top billing for me... but I must say that I have enjoyed London UK Sydney AUS Wellington NZL

well I'll give San Fran a go next year, or maybe portland OR?

but hey think locally live globally?

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

Well, what a surprise. Blacksburg, VA, isn't even in my top 50. In fact, there were no Virginia locations (except for DC) anywhere in my top 50. Boston was #1, San Francisco was #2. Minneapolis, Rochester, and Duluth-Superior (otherwise known as "the frozen arctic waste"), MN all showed up in my top 20, as did some other non-coastal places that I know I like: Denver and Boulder, Chicago, upstate NY, etc. My parents' hometown (lovely Appleton, WI) showed up at around #48, along with Madison and several other WI locations.

In the immortal words of Matt & Dan Wilson: "she's a chilly northern woman". Maybe I should start looking for jobs in Minnesota.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

Well this was pretty weird: 1 Boston, MA-NH-ME -- I lived there for a year and a half after college, and would move back in a second if I could. This really made me happy!

4 New York, NY -- I actually live in a NYC suburb now. Does that count?

10 Stamford-Norwalk, CT -- I work in Norwalk. I lived in Fairfield (a couple towns over), but I hated it.

Crazy.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

Actually, Long Island, NY is Nassau and Suffolk Counties. They've been toying with calling the eastern half of Suffolk County "Peconic County" but that hasn't happened as of yet.

NYC limits include: Queens, Brooklyn [aka Kings County], DA' Bronx and Staten Island.

But hey, San Fran came up as my ideal so what do I know.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

Actually, Krystyna, while people tend to think of Nassau and Suffolk Counties when they think of "Long Island," from a geographical standpoint, Queens and Brooklyn are on it also. Just look at a map; it's pretty straightforward.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2000

Cities... Okay: no tropical heat-- that's key. No snowstorms, though. Access to open water is nice. No decaying inner cities. No conservative-religious culture. Only ethnic groups with cool restaurants. No trailer parks. Lots of bookstores. Lots of alternative cinema. Parking. Lots of parking. Affordable rents. A cool university or two. Anyplace come to mind?

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2000

Lohr - well except for "parking", "lots of parking", and "affordable rents," Seattle comes to mind...

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2000

something is wrong with this thing if Austin isn't showing up on everyone's lists. It's the second most growing city in America, next to Vegas. If you aren't moving to Vegas, you're moving to Austin.

And it's like San Francisco, except for the heat.

and yo, no state tax.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2000

It wasn't an option, but without a doubt - Perth, Western Australia.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

This quiz should have also asked more about income... it's easy to love NY and SF when you have enough money to deal with them. NYC in one room with no A/C in a 5th fl walkup (only window facing the alley) is no picnic. And all the universities in town don't mean shite if you can't afford to attend them.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2000

Okay, so I'm a big lame-o... But a Squishy entry from a couple of weeks ago mentioned this "Best Places to Live" quiz, and I can't for the life of me find it in the Xeney archives. Can someone point me to it?

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2000

Long Island? Boston? Philly? The only one I'd consider out of my top 10 is Nashua, NH. My own home town Rochester, NY (the biggest Rochester in the country) didn't even make the list. What's that - 0 for 75? Maybe the real problem is I'm not a metropolitan sorta guy. The Appalachian foothills in Western Upstate NY would suit me fine, so would the Smokey Mountains. But really - why would I want to live someplace where all the routes to the rest of the country are through NYC?

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Austin rules as a place to live and work, if you can take the heat.

Fellow conservatives: It is true that the City of Austin is run by a collation of children (i.e. University students), welfare recipients, and public employees, all duped into the service of a group of powerful tort lawyers. Don't let that worry you.

Austin is ringed with adult run communities who tend to damped the wackier impulses of the City of Austin, and the state legislature has shown that it is willing to step in and correct the sillier ideas that flow from the Austin city council. You can enjoy the funky Austin culture and live in the suburbs where there are good schools and crime is considered a Bad Thing.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Solamente San Antonio

-- Anonymous, August 09, 2001