The 100 Best American Cities to Live, Work and in General

The Rules of Unnatural Selection

For the sake of objective assessment, the authors of the study identified six criteria by which cities were evaluated.

• Place. This includes the safety of the population, weather conditions and climate, natural attractions and greenery in general. Parks are especially attractive in conditions of social distancing.
• Product. Here we are talking about what the city offers to residents and guests: the number of destinations from local airports, museums and monuments, the level of universities and local sports teams (this is important for Americans).
• Programming. Everything is simple here: where to eat, where to dance, where to spend money.
• People. The criteria is based on the development of human capital at the local level, the level of employment and education of the population.
• Prosperity. This is an interesting point, because it includes the number of offices of Fortune 500 companies, the unemployment rate, real estate prices and the average family income. All this, according to the authors, gives the potential for the development of the city.
• Promotion. The most modern point, which breathes the spirit of the XXI century: the number of requests and issues of information about the city on Google, check-ins in the city on Facebook, reviews on TripAdvisor, hashtags on Instagram. A strong brand also affects the success of the city and its inhabitants.

In addition to statistical data, the authors studied public opinion among local residents and tourists. The result of the analysis was a list of 100 cities in the country (there are about 30,000 of them in the States). We will tell you about the best ones, because nobody likes losers.

List of current immigration programs in the United States

USA

Employment Based Immigration for Permanent Workers EB-1

Permanent residence For 8 months

from 5 000 $

USA

L-1 Visa Intracompany Transferee Executive, Manager or Specialized Knowledge

Residence permit For 2 months

from 5 000 $

USA

Treaty Investor Visa E-2

Residence permit For 4 months

from 100 000 $

USA

Employment-Based Second Preference Immigrant Visa EB-2

Permanent residence For 1 month

from 5 000 $

USA

O-1 Visa for Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement

Residence permit For 3 months

from 5 000 $

USA

Immigrant Investor Program - EB-5

Residence permit For 31 months

from 900 000 $

Number 10. San Jose, CA

The capital of Silicon Valley. That phrase on itself should make it clear why everything is fine here: if the central offices of Google, Facebook, Cisco, Adobe, eBay and PayPal are located in your city, the probability of a high standard of living, let's say, strives to infinity.

So why not the first place? Technology giants and a highly skilled population with seven-figure salaries have led to an unaffordable increase in real estate prices. Many people began to leave the city with the start of the pandemic. The fallen income and expensive rent are doing their job.

However, the deep integration of the IT sector with the local economic market will not allow the crisis to break out in just one year. In addition, the new high-speed transport system makes San Jose closer to the coast, allowing to work here, but live further away (and on a budget). And yet, time will tell whether the city was able to overcome the crisis. In the meantime, it closes the top ten cities in the United States in 2021.

Number 9. Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix is a city with a Latin American soul. Therefore, the best restaurants of Mexican cuisine are located here (according to the researchers, of course). We will not argue with the authorities, we will only add that a sunny year is very conducive to living in the "siesta" style.

Ten new hotels have already appeared in Phoenix this year, shopaholics are flocking here to diversify their wardrobe, young people are looking for new ways of artistic expression, gaining inspiration in local bars and national parks. In order for residents to have money for all these entertainments, the city authorities support the development of human capital, so the unemployment rate remains consistently low.

Number 8. Denver, CO

The city is located near the Rocky Mountains, and popular due to the offices of the largest Fortune 500 companies such as financial intermediaries Western Union, healthcare giants DaVita and Centene, as well as the Molson Coors brewing company. With big names at its disposal (especially pharmaceutical companies), the city did not lose much during the pandemic and remained in an economically stable position.

300 sunny days a year also brought Denver a lot of points in the Best Cities rating. When you are surrounded by mountains and walking trails, it is difficult to fall into depression, even if the whole world around you is sad. Lovers of man-made beauty were no less lucky, because the city was declared the capital of street art of the country. In general, even during the raging coronavirus, there was time for work and rest here.

Number 7. Washington, D.C.

The capital entered the top ten. This city is most often searched for on Google (and it shows), and it is the seventh in the number of marks on Facebook. Amazon's second head office is located here, creating many jobs for local (and not so local) residents.

The year 2020 was supposed to be a time of active construction, investments have reached $10 billion. The first implemented project on Capitol Hill will be a new gastronomic space The Roost with an area of over 1100 sq. m. Another one is a huge project with a hotel, park, shops and offices, which will be launched in the southwest. It seems that the new American dream is the hope that the pandemic will end after all and we will just continue to live as before.

Number 6. San Diego, CA

In the distant XVIII century, Spanish settlers arrived on the sandy shore that reminded of the sunny beaches of their homeland (or so we think). In the XXI century, the city is considered one of the fastest growing in the United States, because in a good climate and surrounded by nature, progress is much easier: 263 sunny days a year is no joke.

Against such a happy bright background, the consequences of the pandemic look inconspicuous. For example, the Mingei International Museum is reopening its doors to visitors, and $52 million was invested in it for a reason. In the near future, the authorities plan to open a zoo (for $62 million). And of course, Comic-Con will resume in San Diego, which comic book fans from all over the world are looking forward to.

Also read:
Luxury Real Estate in the US are in Unprecedented Demand
What Determines the Rental Market in the United States and What an Investor Can Expect
Top-10 Prestigious Places to Live in the USA
New Opportunities of the American Real Estate Market

Number 5. Boston, MA

The most Europeanized city, which became the center of higher education thanks to Harvard. If it were not for the university, it is unlikely that Boston would have been able to climb to the fifth place in the national ranking. It can be called one big Academic town – all life here is boiling around and for the sake of students: laboratories, lectures, 75 higher educational institutions and 200,000 students.

Fortunately, this is not the onl reason of economic activity. A huge number of museums (new and not so much) fuels activity among the local population, most of whom have a higher degree. It is not surprising that Boston has excellent grades in the "people" category. The authorities are also betting on tourism: five thousand new hotel rooms were planned to be commissioned here over the next five years. So, Boston has every chance to stay in the highest possible positions.

Number 4. San Francisco, CA

One of the most controversial cities in the United States, known for its rich history and a huge number of homeless people. The authorities hope that they will be able to ensure the development of the city to spite the haters, because there is hige potential for this.

San Francisco has attracted new residents since the gold rush, and as a result, it was immigrants who gave an impetus to development, on the powerful pull of which the city still strives for the stars. Stanford University and Berkeley attract students from all over the world to the West Coast. However, over the past year, many large companies have begun to move offices to cheaper Miami and Austin.

The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the new Museum of Asian Art and the streets with colorful houses in the Victorian style are responsible for attracting tourists. In 2019, more than 26 million people visited San Francisco, and in 2020 - "only" 10 million. The authorities expect to return to the previous indicators by 2023.

Number 3. Chicago, IL

According to the authors of the study, everything is so good in Chicago that it's scary. The city copes with the pandemic quite well, the horrors of New York CIty have bypassed it. But the return to a hectical life is rapid: active nightlife, many restaurants of the highest level, even the Obamas are going to open a large-scale cultural center with a presidential library in Chicago, charging the image of the city with their positive energy (from the point of view of ordinary Americans).

Considerable budget funds are invested in the development of art. The largest digital projections on the facades of buildings attracted 32 thousand people in the dock time. Thus, Chicago is not just coping well with the current state of things, but also has every chance to break out into the leaders of the United States among the best cities.

Number 2. Los Angeles, CA

The city of Angels followed in the footsteps of the rating leader in terms of the deterioration of the lives of ordinary people. It was called the epicenter of the epidemic, and the unemployment rate reached 10%. But the situation was brought under control when the mayor of the city was one of the first to demand the complete closure of companies and enterprises in non-key sectors of the economy. By May 2021, all of California and Los Angeles in particular could boast the lowest level of new cases in the country.

Now the city is trying to catch up. Los Angeles is known as the culinary Mecca of the United States, where the best restaurants with cuisines from around the world are concentrated, looking forward to hungry visitors. A new SoFi Stadium has been opened for sports fans, which will host the Super Bowl in 2022 (the final game for the title of champion of the US National Football League is the most popular sporting event in the country). The construction of hotels goes on (with many already being open), the transport system is developing, the airport is being updated... In general, the city is ready for several seasons ahead.

Number 1. New York City, NY

An unexpected result, if you think of the news about how the city was coping with the pandemic (spoiler - not so good). The position is secured by the climate and an active social life: according to these criteria, NYC immediately came out on top.

However, the researchers admit that the last 18 months have not affected the city in the best way: the metropolis was leading in the number of infected people and the increase in mortality from the coronavirus, the murder rate jumped by 45% during the pandemic, there were twice as many shootings, the unemployment rate changed for the worse during lockdowns…

Knowing the context, it is difficult to talk about the positive aspects, but they were also found. The authorities are forced to actively revive the former standard of living in the agglomeration, where 20 million people live. Back in 2020, $30 million was allocated for tourism marketing to get rid of the reputational damage caused by covid. The administration expects to see more than 36 million tourists in 2021 – one of the terminals of LaGuardia Airport has been updated for them, and a terminal with 33 gates will open at Newark Airport. Upscale hotels and restaurants are planning to open soon, and even Broadway is teasing viewers with the return in the fall of 2021.

Who else is on the list? 

Quoting conditions of Prian.info materials