The list, which is based on factors such as living costs, taxes, crime rates, driving conditions, availability of doctors and outdoor activities, includes other cities with cold winters such as Omaha, Nebraska; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Indianapolis, Indiana.
Several storied retirement destinations people dream about — Miami, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; and San Diego, California — failed to make the cut.
“If money was no object, would this be your list?” asked Janet Novack, the executive editor who oversaw the research. “Maybe not. But these are places that we think are convivial around the country because they do well on all our factors or because they only have one or two negatives.”
Only five cities in the list — Tucson, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Charleston, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and San Antonio, Texas are in the southernmost part of the country.
And several, including Salt Lake City, Utah; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Fargo, North Dakota are notorious for their long, snowy winters.
“I wouldn’t go to Fargo personally,” Novack said. “But there are people who like the cold weather and it’s terrific for other things.”
The latest edition of the magazine, which can be found at www.forbes.com, also includes a list of the five best cities for ethnic entrepreneurs, including Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Houston, Texas; and Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Only one city — the country music capital Nashville, Tennessee makes both lists.
The so-called “booby prize” in the ethnic enclave contest went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, because of its low level of self-employment and its job-creation record over the past decade, which the magazine said was the worst of any big city in the United States.
