Althouse: "The 10 Cities With The Highest Quality Of Life."

२८ ऑगस्ट, २०१४

"The 10 Cities With The Highest Quality Of Life."

"1. Madison, Wisconsin."

५६ टिप्पण्या:

Moneyrunner म्हणाले...: I just received an invitation to accept my award as the number 1 XXXXXX in my state. The plaque was only $199.; २८/८/१४, ८:३५ PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent म्हणाले...: Unless you're black. Then it's the same old shit-give white liberals your vote in exchange for table scraps.; २८/८/१४, ८:४७ PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent म्हणाले...: Hell, if I was black in Madison, I'd hate the player and the game.; २८/८/१४, ८:४९ PM
Ambrose म्हणाले...: I bet that the presence of Ann and Meade contribute - in some small but yet tangible way - to the quality of life in Madison. I wonder if that put Madison over the top; २८/८/१४, ८:५३ PM
madAsHell म्हणाले...: Wow!

One post after Northeastern gaming US News and World Report we have a listicle with Madison at number 1.

No one knows the criteria, but.....hey!! We're number 1.

Don't you have a listicle tag?? I think it's missing.; २८/८/१४, ८:५७ PM
Michael K म्हणाले...: Madison may not be so good if the unions can defeat Walker . They sure are trying. They hate him because he is drying up the pipeline from union to Democrat.; २८/८/१४, ९:०० PM
rhhardin म्हणाले...: Oh I don't know.

At the turn-around point of my daily 4-mile walk pic

seems pretty nice.; २८/८/१४, ९:२३ PM
Rob म्हणाले...: Lincoln. Omaha. Buffalo, Lubbock.
Kill me now.; २८/८/१४, ९:३९ PM
अनामित म्हणाले...: Crazy Cut-and-Paste Woman says

I resent people who are not the people I don't resent. Small, small, smaller. It itches.; २८/८/१४, ९:४५ PM
T J Sawyer म्हणाले...: "To come up with the list, Nerdwallet looked at a variety of factors, including ...the percentage of residents with health care coverage..."

Whoa! Didn't they hear that everyone now has health care coverage thanks to Obamacare?; २८/८/१४, ९:४५ PM
अनामित म्हणाले...: Crazy Cut-and-Paste Woman says

I scratch but there wasn't an itch there wasn't an itch there wasn't. There wasn't but there was, I scratch I scratch I scratch. Watch me scratch, I will scratch and scratch and you will be forced to watch watch watch read read read.; २८/८/१४, ९:४५ PM
अनामित म्हणाले...: Crazy Cut-and-Paste Woman says:

You WILL listen to me. Listen Listen listen. Read Read Read. I have a valid point of view that I emphasize through cut-and-paste, I cut-and-paste, I am valid valid valid. By repeating repeating repeating I will convince people of my point of view. Don't you see see see? You're all fools fools fools. There is a turtle that hides its Head. head. Head. Head. I am not the turtle I am the turtle. I am not the turtle I am the turtle. Head. See see see?; २८/८/१४, ९:४५ PM
Alex म्हणाले...: Best for white people, you mean.; २८/८/१४, ९:४६ PM
chickelit म्हणाले...: assholes just can’t leave things alone.

Where were you during the occupation by a single-minded commenter?

I mean seriously, what's the difference?; २८/८/१४, ९:४७ PM
David53 म्हणाले...: Nebraska and Lubbock have really nice people. But that's it.; २८/८/१४, ९:४७ PM
fivewheels म्हणाले...: "Nerdwallet looked at a variety of factors, including rent ... commuting ... health care coverage ... unemployment."

Well, that's one definition, one that has a bias toward small cities, as the list reveals.

Most of those I would not really call quality of life issues that vary from city to city. Perhaps this is my bias, but I look at something like health coverage and consider that something I bring to the equation, not that the city brings to me.

They don't consider factors that I would consider top of the list: Cultural attractions and weather/natural beauty. Hence, snowy podunks topping their list.; २८/८/१४, ९:५६ PM
traditionalguy म्हणाले...: ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.; २८/८/१४, ९:५८ PM
Scott म्हणाले...: As evaluated by those highly respected city evaluators at Nerdwallet.

Who drew up the list over beers and chicken wings while they were waiting for their main course at Applebees.

On the same list, Buffalo, New York is #6. Which as anyone who has been to Buffalo knows is absolutely fucking insane. Buffalo also made #1 in "America's Top 10 Miserable Cities" by Forbes Magazine, an accolade that Buffalo has earned.

But hey, Nerdwallet says Madison is #1. Maybe they picked that one out of their butt too.; २८/८/१४, ९:५८ PM
traditionalguy म्हणाले...: Land O Lakes. Plus bike trails and a Dog Park. there could not be a better place to live, Except for the 4 coldest months of Winter. Maybe the Judges are Eskimos.; २८/८/१४, ९:५९ PM
jake म्हणाले...: I have never been to Madison save the last two days for a training at Monona Terrace. The downtown was very nice from what I experienced. I had a great view of the capitol building from my room at the Best Western. People were even lounging around on the lawn that I thought a bit odd. I don't share the city's politics for the most part, but the Mayor, who spoke briefly at our training, seemed genuine. Would return, but likely not in winter or during some Walker recall or election chicanery.; २८/८/१४, १०:०० PM
jacksonjay म्हणाले...: Someone has never been to Lubbock. Not one mention of the feedlots on the southside. Sandstorms much!

Ay Dios Mio!; २८/८/१४, १०:०० PM
Scott म्हणाले...: Ooops my bad, Buffalo is #6 in Forbes' list of most miserable cities, not #1. So go move there.; २८/८/१४, १०:०१ PM
The Drill SGT म्हणाले...: NYC claim to fame?

We beat Fresno???; २८/८/१४, १०:१३ PM
John henry म्हणाले...: Perhaps for white folks.

For blacks? Not so much. One of the most racist cities in the US by the numbers.

So what are you Madisonians doing about it?

John Henry; २८/८/१४, १०:२४ PM
William म्हणाले...: All my life I've been hoping to go to Buffalo to make it big, but you don't shuffle off to Buffalo. You take manful strides if you want to arrive there. I didn't dream big enough, and I never made it there. But it's good that such a place as Buffalo exists. That's one mountain Hillary climbed. It was her main reason for coming to New York.; २८/८/१४, १०:३० PM
Patrick म्हणाले...: Minneapolis may be nice when you're young, but St. Paul is a million times better off you want to raise a family. Better neighbors, fewer hipsters.; २८/८/१४, १०:३२ PM
अनामित म्हणाले...: Are these the same people who make those happiest country and 'most civilized' nation surveys?; २८/८/१४, १०:३८ PM
Fritz म्हणाले...: It's still a city.; २८/८/१४, १०:४३ PM
buwaya म्हणाले...: I've lived in Buffalo and often have to go to Fremont.
No.; २८/८/१४, १०:४६ PM
SteveR म्हणाले...: This could have been done with the 2010 Census and Wikipedia. Start with the question. Where do people live with the best incomes and lowest percentages of blacks and Hispanics?; २८/८/१४, १०:५२ PM
Donna B. म्हणाले...: I'm not defending any of the cities on the "worst" list, but... I've been to Lubbock TX and Lexington KY.

There's nothing to recommend either of them over where I currently live.

Happiness, ie, quality of life, is not mostly dependent on where one is. That said, you'd have a hard time convincing me to move to any large city, especially one in New York, New Jersey, or California.; २८/८/१४, १०:५८ PM
अनामित म्हणाले...: Actually, Althouse, you and Meade could forego the trips to Boulder and Brooklyn (too many hippies and hipsters) and start visiting hotspots like Buffalo, Detroit, Gary, Indiana and wonderful Newark, New Jersey.

Where will the jobs come from? Who's staying and who's leaving?

Start doing some gritty expose blogging.

Or maybe do a walk from the banks of the Anacostia over to Loudon County VA and blog about what you see.

Normal liberal outlets would focus on 'inequality,' but you've got some special powers of observation.; २८/८/१४, ११:११ PM
Smilin' Jack म्हणाले...: "The 10 Cities With The Highest Quality Of Life."

"1. Madison, Wisconsin."

As long as you're not there in the winter. But hey, that only lasts from August to June.; २८/८/१४, ११:१३ PM
Richard Dolan म्हणाले...: The criteria used to create this best/worst list is absurd. It starts with comparative housing costs -- low is good, high bad. Translated into English: the "best" city is where no one wants to live (low demand for housing being the reason for relatively low cost). Detroit would have scored best of all on that one. Same with commuting time: brief is better. Put in English: fewer commuters because no one wants to live there. And so it goods with the rest of the methodology.

If you want to measure urban environments that attract people rather than repel them -- the "quality of life" that people seek out -- this survey is not designed to do that. Instead, it takes a wish list of things people would like to see -- cheap rent, quick commutes, etc. -- but could only get by moving to some place they would never consider living in. And they wouldn't consider living in those places for all the normal reasons -- dull as dishwater, provincial little backwaters, 'no one like me lives there', no future, one industry towns, etc. The fact that people are not moving to any of the " best" cities on this list is pretty convincing proof that the methodology is a joke.; २८/८/१४, ११:३७ PM
cubanbob म्हणाले...: The list is a joke. Buffalo? And LA or Miami the worst?
Well maybe some sections of Miami or LA but anywhere that is somewhat desirable in those two cities beats the hell out the terminably frozen and deadly dull cities in the that top ten nerdiest list. Where is Crack when you need him? Those top ten cities are sooo white that even most white people can't handle that intensity of whiteness.; २८/८/१४, ११:४३ PM
Guildofcannonballs म्हणाले...: The old man sees a couple drive up to the home for sale next door and walk around. He walks over and exchanges pleasantries.

They ask him if it is a nice place to live. He says sure and how did they like where they came from. They say the town they came from sucked and their neighbors were douchnozzles. The old man says they probably wouldn't like if here, lots of nosy folks always gossiping about everyone else.

Next day different couple same scenario only the new couple loved where they live now and hated to leave their wonderful friends and family behind but had to for work.

Old man says they will love this house and the neighbors are all friendly and eager to offer assistance of any kind in order to bring peace and joy to themselves and their town, invites them over for homemade wine and smoked salmon.

Also: weather counts. And days of sunshine too.; २९/८/१४, १२:०५ AM
Achilles म्हणाले...: Places that suck tend to have lower rents. The criteria lends itself to places that suck. Thank goodness I don't live in a city large enough to be on either of these lists.; २९/८/१४, १२:०९ AM
David म्हणाले...: Overwhelmingly white.

Which describes Madison perfectly.; २९/८/१४, १२:३९ AM
Roy Lofquist म्हणाले...: The search for a happy place is a fool's journey. The happy place is very, very close. It's right between your ears.; २९/८/१४, २:२१ AM
stlcdr म्हणाले...: Subjective vs objective. Some things cannot be measured by either. If they could, then wouldn't everyone be living in the liberal utopia measuring their quality of life?; २९/८/१४, ४:३९ AM
lgv म्हणाले...: I should move from Dallas #89 to Buffalo. Yet, I'm just not feeling the urge to go back to NY.

Maybe I will feel differently in February.; २९/८/१४, ४:४७ AM
ganderson म्हणाले...: Buffalo? Really? And, not to put too fine a point on it Mpls and St. Paul, while they each have their own city governments are part of the same 'city', as much as say, Manhattan and Brooklyn are.; २९/८/१४, ५:४० AM
tim in vermont म्हणाले...: Is it OK if I like hipsters.. unironically?

They have great restaurants.; २९/८/१४, ६:३७ AM
MathMom म्हणाले...: They never put Anchorage on these lists.

It is, as they say up there, "only 20 minutes from Alaska", has all sorts of big city amenities, such as the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, has a great mid-winter festival called Fur Rondy with snow carving competitions and the start of the Iditarod. Miles of bicycle trails through the town and forest (watch out for moose and the occasional bear, though), very few mosquitoes, and the Aurora Borealis. Whale watching. Salmon fishing right in town. Loooong summer days. Glaciers close by. Beautiful to look at. Snow that stays white all winter (no racism there...that is the color of snow) because it doesn't thaw and get all dirty and slushy, and they know how to plow so you can get around in the winter. Views of Mt. McKinley on a clear day. Good doctors and hospitals, and Seattle only 4 hrs away if you have something they can't handle there.

All of this, and easy commutes. You can get from most places in town to most other places in town in 25 minutes or less.

I love Anchorage, loved living there, and love it every time I go back.; २९/८/१४, ७:१४ AM
Known Unknown म्हणाले...: There are lies, damned lies, and listicles.; २९/८/१४, ७:२२ AM
Tank म्हणाले...: What is the weather forecast for Madison on:

Jan 10
Feb2
March 1
Nov 28
Dec 15

Good quality if you like is so cold you can't go outside.

How did Jersey City top Camden as a low quality place to live?; २९/८/१४, ७:४४ AM
MathMom म्हणाले...: OMGaia...I forgot to include in my list of wonderful things about Anchorage...Running With the Reindeer!!!; २९/८/१४, ७:५४ AM
Writ Small म्हणाले...: To come up with the list, Nerdwallet looked at a variety of factors, including the median price of rent (as a percentage of median income), the average number of hours residents spend commuting to work and working, the percentage of residents with health care coverage and the unemployment rate for the 100 largest U.S. cities.

median price of rent - Rent is low in places where people do not want to live and high where they do.

the average number of hours residents spend commuting to work and working - In depopulated areas it is easier to live closer to work. Why are these areas depopulated?

percentage of residents with health care coverage - Despite Obamacare, this is largely a measure of the employment rate.

unemployment rate - Employers are finding it difficult to find workers and salaries are comparatively competitive.

By the criteria chosen, the "highest quality of life" cities are those that have been relatively unsuccessful in attracting residents.; २९/८/१४, ७:५८ AM
MadisonMan म्हणाले...: I notice they don't include property taxes in the metric.; २९/८/१४, ७:५९ AM
Curious George म्हणाले...: "broomhandle said...
Unless you're black. Then it's the same old shit-give white liberals your vote in exchange for table scraps."

Not in Madison. Not enough to matter.; २९/८/१४, ९:०९ AM
अनामित म्हणाले...: Do any of the top 10 cities have black people in them?; २९/८/१४, ९:१७ AM
Jim Howard म्हणाले...: It's clear that this 'study' was looking for small college towns.; २९/८/१४, ९:२५ AM
Rusty म्हणाले...: How subjective.
I would have said Las Vegas. Followed by Huntington Beach during the womens vollyball tournament.; २९/८/१४, ९:३० AM
Wince म्हणाले...: Conspicuously absent from the index:

1.) Racial diversity, and

2.) Taxes; २९/८/१४, ९:४५ AM
अनामित म्हणाले...: Madison is nothing but public sector workers and welfare cheats (but I repeat myself) so how can it be considered anything but a hellhole?; २९/८/१४, ९:४७ AM
Unknown म्हणाले...: what Writ Small said at 7:58. YES On their map I clicked my city (ranked #52) and looked at their criteria. Based on my experiences, yes anecdotal I know, comparing them to people I know who like it/ don't like it here I found none of their criteria had any relation whatsoever to what I know of the resident's opinions about the quality of life here. The people with the shortest commutes and lowest rents/mortages are the unhappiest. The ones who work the fewest hours are unhappiest.; २९/८/१४, ११:३१ AM