Of the nation’s 100 largest cities, Businessweek has named DC the third best, owing to its “leisure amenities” which include more than 2,000 bars and restaurants, numerous museums and cultural centers, and parks. “Lively districts” like Foggy Bottom and Adams Morgan make DC a desirable place to live, particularly for young adults. In addition, the city’s educational opportunities, with universities that offer both undergraduate and graduate courses of study, make it a rival for Boston—ranked just behind DC—in terms of high-quality education. Arlington was also on the list—it ranked 27th for having the lowest rate of unemployment and the highest median household income of the evaluated cities, but it lost points for having a “weak nightlife.” Other entries on the list include New York (number 7), New Orleans (14), and Philadelphia (24).
Leisure attributes were given the most weight in determining a city’s rank, followed by educational and economic metrics. Bloomberg Rankings were also taken into account, with data found at Onboard Informatics.