From Sonja Cohen,
Your Guide to Boston.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Jan 9 2008

Are you having fun, Bostonians? Well you should be. Boston was named the second most fun city in America in a recent study conducted by Bizjournals, the online media division of American City Business Journals.

The goal of the study was to identify metropolitan areas that offer a wide variety of opportunities for fun. New York City came in number one—no big shock there—but Boston claimed the #2 spot, earning top scores in the categories of shopping and high-impact sports.

Methodology

Bizjournals calculated the rates and rankings based on raw statistics collected by the Census Bureau as part of its 2005 Metro Business Patterns report (released in June 2007).

Bizjournals gathered statistics for 14 types of businesses, including gambling casinos, golf courses, retail stores, and restaurants. Cities were then graded on the number and concentration of these businesses. Results were grouped into seven categories: culture; food and drink; gambling; shopping; popular entertainment (including spectator sports); high-impact sports facilities (such as fitness centers); and low-impact sports venues (golf courses, bowling alleys). The highest ranks were awarded to cities that scored well in a variety of categories.

Why Boston Scored High

Boston ranked first in two categories—shopping and high-impact sports—and ranked seventh or better in four others.

Shopping: 1st
Food and drink: 7th
Culture: 6th
Popular entertainment: 7th
Gambling: 34th
High-impact sports: 1st
Low-impact sports: 7th

The study found that Boston has an "impressive concentration of stores," no surprise to those of us that live and shop here. Boston also grabbed the top spot in the high-impact sports category, in part because of the city's large number of fitness centers and relatively easy access to ski hills.

Meanwhile, you might be surprised to learn that our neighbor to the south, Providence, R.I., also made the list, coming in at #10. Providence was notable for its high concentrations of museums, golf courses, fitness centers, and restaurants, as well as the fact that it has 1.98 marinas for every 100,000 people, leading the country, according to the study.

Top 10 Most Fun U.S. Cities

1. New York
2. Boston
3. Chicago
4. Los Angeles
5. Seattle
6. San Francisco/Oakland
7. Minneapolis-St. Paul
8. Pittsburgh
9. Philadelphia
10. Providence

To read more about the study, visit bizjournals.com.