Mother Nature Networks has selected their picks for the top ten green cities.  The criteria included air and water quality, availability of organic products, buying local,  green transportation, recycling and waste management and use of greenspace.  The west coast dominates the list with three California cities, two Oregon picks and Seattle.  Here is the list….

1. Portland, Oregon

2. San Francisco

3. Boston

4. Oakland, California

5. Eugene, Oregon

6. Cambridge, Mass.

7. Berkeley, California

8. Seattle

9. Chicago

10. Austin, Texas

Read more about the Top Ten Green Cities.

]]> http://toptencities.com/2009/07/06/top-ten-green-cities/feed/ 0 kmhhansen http://toptencities.com/2009/06/10/top-ten-places-to-live/ http://toptencities.com/2009/06/10/top-ten-places-to-live/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:06:54 +0000 kmhhansen http://toptencities.wordpress.com/?p=79 ]]>

US News and World Report has issued its 2009 list of the Best Places to Live.   This year affordability was a primary consideration while the stength of the local economy and plenty of things to do were also considered.   Here are the picks for 2009…

1. Albuquerque, N.M.

2. Auburn, Ala.

3. Austin, Texas

4. Boise, Idaho

5. Durham, N.C.

6. La Crosse, Wisc.

7. Loveland Colorado

8. San Luis Obispo, CA

9. St. Augustine, FLA

10. Upper St. Claire, PA

Should your town have been on this list?  Tell us what your top ten picks would be.  Read the full U.S. News and World Report Best Places to Live article.

U.S. News & World Report has created a list of the healthiest places to retire.  As the report points out, Americans are living longer, but in order to enjoy the later stages of life you must be healthy. Climate, access to healthcare, cost of living, and recreational choices were among the factors considered.  The top ten cities are:  

• Bella Vista, Arkansas
• Boulder, Colorado
  
• Eden Prairie, Minnesota
  
• Green Valley, Arizona
  
• Issaquah, Washington
• Longmeadow, Massachusetts
• Portland, Maine
• Punta Gorda, Florida
• Reston, Virginia
  
• Walnut Creek, California

Miami has the most attractive people in the U.S. according to a new survey published by Travel + Leisure magazine.  It seems warm climates draw beautiful people. San Diego, Los Angeles, and Honolulu were also in the top ten.  Philadephia came in last for the second year in a row.  Here is the list of the top ten cities with the most attractive people.   

Read more about the cities with the most attractive people and other rankings.  Which city do you think has the most attractive people?   

Forbes has issued its list of the best cities for earning a living.  Houston topped the list based on its business environment, low unemployment, and high wages.  Oil industry profits were cited as one of the primary drivers of the Houston economy.  Minneapolis (large well know companies), Boston (biotech industry), and Washington D.C. (government related jobs) also made this list.  To compile the list Forbes drew from it’s own list of 400 of the best large companies and 200 of the top small companies.   They also considered median incomes, cost of living, and job-growth forecasts.  Here is the list of the top ten:

1.) Houston

2.) Minneapolis

3.) Boston

4.) Washington D.C.

5.) New York City

6.) Pittsburgh

7.) San Francisco

8.) Dallas

9.) Milwaukee

10.) Philadelphia

Learn more about the best cities to earn a living.

In these difficult economic times, the Hotwire list of has published a list of “Best Places for Value Vacations” may come in handy. Affordability was the primary criteria used to create the list. Phoenix tops the list. Nearby Old Town Scottsdale, Desert Botanical Gardens, the Phoenix Museum of History, and the winter residence of Frank Llyoyd Wright were the highlighted attractions. Of course affordable air travel to these cities was a major available. I am sure there are less expansive alternatives, but the cities with highly competitive routes (and low rates) won out. Here is the full list:

Phoenix

Dallas-Fort Worth

Orlando

Denver

Atlanta

Los Angeles

Washington D.C.

Kansas City

Miami

Milwaukee

Read more about affordable vacation cities.

Zurich has been chosen by Forbes magazine as the top European city to live in. Germany had three cities on the list including Dusseldorf, Munich, and Frankfurt. Factors considered in the study included economics, political stability, education, transportation, entertainment, housing, and access to consumer goods.

1. Zürich, Switzerland
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Geneva, Switzerland
4. Düsseldorf, Germany
5. Munich, Germany
6. Frankfurt, Germany
7. Bern, Switzerland
8. Copenhagen, Denmark
9. Amsterdam, Holland
10. Brussels, Belgium
Read more about the top Europoean cities in which to live.

Beachside cities allow you to work by day, and hit the beach before or after dinner before the sun goes down. Where are the world’s top beachside cities? AskMen.com has created a list of the top ten beachside cities. Ask rank’s Miami number one and Dubai’s jumeirah beach came in second. Thought Venice was only about the canals? Think again…Venice Lido made the cut. It is only 10 minutes from St. Mark’s Square and features an 11 mile islands and a lagoon. A Mumbai, India beach also made the list.

The top ten beachside cities are:

Time magazine has published a story highlighting the worlds worst most polluted places. Linfen is cited as the worst polluted place. Not surprising since a report by the World Bank says China has 16 of the 20 most polluted cities and China’s Environmental Protection Agency says Linfen has the worst air quality in the country. China, Russia and India each had two cities listed.

1.) Linfen, China (coal)

2.) Tianying, China (lead)

3.) Sukinda, India (Hexavalent chromium)

4.) Vapi, India (Chemicals and heavy metals)

5.) La Oroya, Peru (Lead, copper, zinc and sulfur dioxide)

6.) Dzerzhinsk, Russia (Chemicals and toxic byproducts, including sarin and VX gas)

7.) Norilsk, Russia (Particulates, sulfur dioxide, heavy metals, phenols)

8.) Chernobyl (Radiation)

9.) Sumgayit, Azerbaijan ( Organic chemicals, oil and heavy metals)

10.) Kabwe, Zambia (lead and cadmium)

See additional details and photos in the Time report.

Colliers International has produced a report ranking the cities with the most expensive parking. London is number one with a monthly $1166.87. Interestingly, Australia had three cities on the list (Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth). Yet another reason to take mass transit! Delhi, India was the cheapest with at $1.75. Here are the ten most expensive:

1.) London – City $1,166.87
2.) London –West End $1,135.76
3.) Sydney $774.76
4.) Hong Kong $742.40
5.) Brisbane $591.63
6.) NewYork – Midtown $585.00
7.) Tokyo $552.00
8.) Perth $516.00
9.) Stockholm $508.92
10.) Dublin $507.74

The full list is included in this down-loadable report.