Sunday, May 6, 2007

We're #1!

Cute article from the Sacramento Bee this week...
We're No. 1
THE LOWDOWN: We love lists. Not grocery lists or to-do lists, perhaps, but lists ranking our city against other burgs hit the spot. When we're on top, we can take pride in the River City - well, as long as it's not a list of crime hot spots or something. When we're not, we can dispute the obvious unfairness of the list creators. Here's a look:

DOING BUSINESS: The Big Tomato ranked only No. 89 on the Forbes list of best places for business and careers, falling down on the job in rankings for the cost of doing business, job growth, education and population. Raleigh, N.C., landed at No.1, but at least we're not Stockton (No. 199) or Salinas (No. 200).

ON THE GO: Tahitian Noni International, a sports drink manufacturer, ranks Sacramento No. 4 on its most energetic cities list, citing our low body mass index scores. San Francisco tops the list, with San Diego also making the cut.

READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY? Sacramento ranks No. 28 on a list of America's most literate cities compiled by a Central Connecticut State University professor. Criteria include bookstores, libraries, magazines, education, Internet resources and newspaper circulation.

CRIME RATES: Based on the FBI's national violent crime rates per 100,000 population, Sacramento comes in at No. 83.

UNDERRATED TOURISM: And the Big Tomato squeezes in at No. 10 on the Sherman Travel list of the nation's most underrated cities - as in, cities not normally considered tourist destinations.

FIRE IT UP: Propane tank maker Blue Rhino names Sacramento its No. 1 ideal city for summer grilling, based on our predilection for sunny, warm weather.

BABY ON BOARD: BabyFit.com puts the Big Tomato squarely at No. 50 on its list of the top 100 cities for healthy pregnancies - top honors go to Overland Park, Kan., while Washington, D.C., tanks at No. 100.

IDENTITY CRISIS: In the category of lists we'd rather not rank highly on, River City ranks No. 9 on a list of the top 10 U.S. cities to have your identity stolen in a list compiled for the American Chronicle. San Francisco tops the list, and San Jose and San Diego also make the top 10.

SINGLES SEEN: Sacramento rates No. 13 on the Forbes list of the best cities for singles, based on rankings for culture, night life, singles, job growth, living cost and online activity. Denver claimed the top spot, while Greensboro, N.C., landed at the bottom at No. 40.

CATCHING SOME Z's: Hey, at least we're a great city for sleeping. Shuteye.com rates Sacramento No. 11 on its list of the best cities for snoozing.

IT'S AN AROMATIC HEAT: Old Spice puts Sacramento at No. 69 on its list of the top 100 sweatiest cities. Phoenix perspires its way to No. 1, while San Francisco keeps its cool to claim No. 100. And how in the heck did Old Spice come up with the ranking? By calculating the amount of sweat a person of average height and weight would produce walking around for an hour in the average high temperature for June through August.

WELL-WIRED: Sacramento ties for No. 17 with Chicago on the Forbes list of America's most wired cities, factoring in the number of Internet users with high-speed access, the range of service providers and availability of public-access wireless hot spots.

LIVING SKINNY AND SMART: Folsom ranks No. 34 on the Money magazine list of the best places to live, while Roseville grabs the top spot on its list of the skinniest cities. And Davis takes second, just behind Arlington, Va., on the magazine's list of the most educated cities.

HELP WANTED: On the Money magazine list of cities with fastest job growth, Folsom ranks No. 9 and Roseville clocks in at No. 11. Surprise! Surprise, Ariz., rates No. 1.

Compiled by Pete Basofin and Sheila A. Kern


Link: http://www.sacbee.com/245/story/169045.html

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