Best City in America?

Reading the other thread got me thinking about a debate that occasionally springs up at the bar.

What's the best city in America? And why?

Best can also mean your favorite, but we won't get specific with the question.

 

Chicago.

 

New York and San Francisco are my top two

Other favorites:
Boulder
Athens
Nashville
Sante Fe
Charleston
Chicago
Charlottesville
Austin
Moab

 

This thread will not end well.

That being said:
Boston
Austin
New Haven

 

Boston
Chicago
Minneapolis


In no particular order.

 

Based on the last city on your list, I can only assume you thought it was "worst" city in America? Seriously, New Haven is a shithole.

 

It's a loaded question, and I'm not sure there's any one right answer. (What is a "city"? 100,000 or more? Only more than half a million? etc.)

At the high end of the equation, Chicago is pretty tough to top. Cosmopolitan, world-class city with Midwestern friendliness and sensibilities. Plus the downtown/lakefront is stunning. San Diego is up there, too.

Among smaller cities, Rochester, Minn., is solid. Excellent medical care (duh), but affordable and with plenty to do for the outdoorsy-types. Plus MSP isn't far away, if you get the hankering for a metro area.

Medium-sized cities? This is where it gets tougher. In no particular order, Grand Rapids, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Birmingham, Denver all get high marks, either from me or from what I've heard.

 

Lyman,

I'd have thought Gary, Ind. would be high on your list.

 

Well, since you're so wrong in your assumption, it's probably a good thing I prefaced my post with "This thread will not end well." Because I can think of a lot of other cities which would fit your description better, but some people from the Keystone State might get really freaking mad at me.

 

Austin
Seattle
Spokane
Portland
Boise
Indianapolis
Cleveland

(OK, so I live in the Northwest, dammit!)

 

San Antonio
Chicago
Anywhere on the Gulf Coast

 

sc --I'd take Missoula over Cleveland. Although, I guess I don't know if it qualifies as a "city".