Bloomberg Businessweek cemented its status as a statistical and scientific powerhouse this past Thursday by publishing the list of America’s fifty objectively best cities. Four of them are in Texas.
“Best cities according to what metric?” you may ask. Don’t be silly. Businessweek does not waste its time with lists based a single purpose, like which places are best to live, to visit, or start a business. Instead, they cross-referenced data from Onboard Informatics and Trust for Public Land and based their rankings heavily on leisure amenities, as well as economic and educational indicators, air quality, and crime rates. This formula must be an improvement from last year’s algorithm when Plano (11) was placed ahead of Austin (12), New York (14), and Dallas (42).
This year Austin is given its due at number eight (the only Texas city to break the top ten) for its vibrant bars and music scene. Houston comes in at 22, likely aided by six professional sports franchises and seventeen colleges. San Antonio made the list at number thirty, receiving a nod for its Tex-Mex, good economy, and newly prominent mayor. Dallas comes in at 41, mentioned for both its culture, wealthy neighborhoods, and “glitzy largesse.” But condolences to Irving, Texas, which came in fifty in 2011 but did not rank this year. At least it will always have a shot at “50 Best Large-Scale Master-Planned Developments.”
