According to a corporation that runs a financial news and opinion company, 74% of the “best cities in America” are in red states that voted for the GOP in 2016. As Sen. Ted Cruz noted, “74% of the ‘best cities in America’ on USA Today list are in red states that voted GOP in 2016. 2 of top 10 are in TX, including #1 (within my hometown of Houston). It’s almost like low taxes, low regs & lots of jobs are good for raising strong families!”
As representatives from 24/7 Wall Street wrote in USA Today, “24/7 Wall St. created a weighted index of over two dozen measures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, and other sources to identify the best city to live in. We considered all boroughs, census designated places, cities, towns, and villages with at least 8,000 residents.”
Iowa had the most cities on the list, with five, followed by California, Minnesota, and Ohio with four, and North Dakota and Wisconsin with three.
In 2018, Thrillist offered their list of the best small towns in America, writing, “We looked for up-and-coming hotspots (think, Asheville 10 years ago), underappreciated gems, and towns where a person with verve could scratch out a cool life. Places where you can raise kids and those kids can raise dogs and those dogs can raise hell. And where, when your friends visit from the city, they take a seat on your porch and say, Damn, this is nice. What does your mortgage cost, again?”
In 2012, Business Week offered its own list of America’s best cities, which focused on the big cities of America. How times have changed: San Francisco, which is now a mess because of rampant drug needles, feces and urine plaguing its streets, was ranked first on the list. The list stated that San Francisco “provides residents with the best blend of entertainment, education, safety, clear air, and a prosperous economic base. As the heart of the Bay Area, San Francisco draws on the prosperity of Silicon Valley and possesses its own diverse history well represented at cultural centers such as the de Young Museum. Residents care fiercely about their cafés and causes; night life flourishes in the Mission and the Castro, while tech companies code away in SoMa.”
The list of top cities from 24/7 Wall Street, ranked from #1 through #50, below:
West University Place, Texas
Beverly Hills, California
Pella, Iowa
Montecito, California
Grove City, Pennsylvania
University Park, Texas
Ladue, Missouri
Hanover, New Hampshire
Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin
Le Mars, Iowa
West Fargo, North Dakota
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Winnetka, Illinois
Moorhead, Minnesota
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bridgeport, West Virginia
Carmel, Indiana
Cody, Wyoming
New Albany, Ohio
Jasper, Indiana
Bismarck, North Dakota
Rochester, Minnesota
St. Joseph, Michigan
Carroll, Iowa
Brandon, South Dakota
Johnston, Iowa
St. Marys, Ohio
Solana Beach, California
Lititz, Pennsylvania
Williston, North Dakota
Staunton, Virginia
Kirkland, Washington
Mammoth Lakes, California
Sartell, Minnesota
Aberdeen, South Dakota
North Liberty, Iowa
Riverton, Wyoming
Andover, Kansas
Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Edgewood, Kentucky
North Canton, Ohio
Montgomery, Ohio
Monroe, Wisconsin
South Jordan, Utah
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Traverse City, Michigan
Durango, Colorado
Grand Rapids, Minnesota