What If You’re Not Into Living, Working or Playing?
The latest best-cities list is out! Kiplinger’s “Best Cities to Live, Work and Play” hasn’t hit newsstands yet, but local boosters are already gushing about their towns’ rankings, which depended heavily on “bohemian index” and “creative class” indicators. “What makes a city great? That’s obviously subjective, but according to the prestigious business magazine, it’s towns with strong economies, plenty of jobs, reasonable living costs and places with fun things to do,” Boise’s KTVB proclaims. Yes, Boise, which ranked fourth. “I’m not at all surprised by that because we’ve received so many accolades over time,” says the host of an entrepreneurship forum hilariously called Idavation. (And you Ann Arborites thought that “mitten envy” was bad.)
Not to be outdone, Utah’s Daily Herald cites Provo’s “burgeoning reputation as a computer software center with easy access to outdoor hotspots” as the reason for its tenth-place finish, using some definition of “burgeon” with which I’m not familiar. “It’s a pristine and good place,” explains a Kiplinger’s senior editor, echoing his magazine’s writer who described Provo as “a pristine software Mecca.” Nothing says creative and bohemian like “pristine.” If you read through the methodology, Kiplinger’s writers arrived at their ratings by going over the surface of each city with white gloves.
Says one Provo realtor, “Of all the people I’ve placed, only one couple told me they were unhappy. They wanted more nightlife.” Killjoys. Why don’t they just start a blog or something?