Rankings are a dime a dozen, especially in such a rankable city like Boston. But as the numbers come in, we’ll wear our latest badge proudly, if it’s favorable, of course. If it’s not, whoever came up with that ranking is a dirty liar!
When you throw together a year in rankings, the list becomes a brain scrambler. How can Boston be both the drunkest city and the fourth healthiest? How can we be both the country’s top partying city and the fifth most stressed out? It’s all a bunch of mumbo jumbo at the end of the day (or year) but according to someone somewhere, it’s Boston.
This year, the good outweighed the bad in terms of Boston rankings (although some are up for argument), with some downright uglies thrown in there as well.
I just want to know who decided that Boston is the second best city for celebrity sightings, because I have yet to notice a star walking down Newbury Street. Maybe that’s just my luck.
The Good
#1 City for Recent College Grads – As a recent college grad, I can attest to NerdWallet’s decision that Boston is a great place to stick around after receiving that old diploma.
#1 City for College Students – The American Institute for Economic Research named Boston the best city for college students, so it looks like the city’s harboring quite the young population.
#1 Best City for Bachelors – Listen up, fellas. Boston’s the best place to post up in a bachelor pad and live the single life, according, again, to NerdWallet.
America’s Drunkest City – Ah, the golden honor. For the second year in a row, Boston was named the Drunkest City by The Daily Beast. They also gathered that 20 percent of Boston’s population are classified as binge drinkers. We’re not messing around.
Country’s Top Partying City – And if you’re the drunkest city, you know how to party. So it’s no surprise we were named the top partying city by StumbleUpon, in case you needed something to celebrate tonight.
2nd Best Trick-or-Treating City in America – Put down your beer, this one’s for the kids. For the second year in a row, Boston was touted the second best city for trick-or-treating by Zillow.
Cambridge 3rd, Boston 9th for Single, Successful Women – All of my single ladies. Boston and Cambridge were both ranked in the top ten as fruitful environments for independent and successful women by Redfin.
4th Healthiest State – Because when we’re not binge drinking, we’re grocery shopping at one of the city’s Whole Foods, according to the United Health Foundation.
4th Best Beer Town in the US – Enough of that healthy stuff and back to the drinking already! CNN named Boston the fourth best beer town in the country for its rich, booze-ridden history.
6th Nerdiest City in the Country – Where my nerds at? Movoto.com named Boston the sixth nerdiest city, and that’s a good thing, because according to those in charge of the rankings, “nerds are cool.”
10th Happiest State in America – OK, so this one is technically regarding 2012, but Gallup-Healthways’ Well Being Index is curated after 350 days of speaking with real residents about their happiness, and based on 2012 data, Massachusetts is the 10th happiest state.
Massachusetts’ Top 10 Best Drivers – Kick that “Masshole” reputation to the curb. According to a survey done by Car Insurance Comparison, the state is in the top 10 when it comes to good driving.
12th Best City for Millennials – With millennials, the biggest concern tends to be, “Am I going to die alone in my parents’ basement?” And according to Vocativ, Boston is the 12th best city where the answer is “No.”
9th Best State for 20-Somethings – Another reason for Massachusetts residents to rejoice? The Bay State was named 9th best for 20-somethings, taking unemployment rates, rent, and nightlife into account.
2nd Best City for Celebrity Sightings – According to the study done by Rent.com, Boston is the second best place to spot celebs. It makes a lot more sense when you realize they purposely left LA and New York off the list.
9th Happiest City in the Country – Massachusetts is the 10th happiest state and Boston is the 9th happiest city, according to Harris Interactive, which claims that 31 percent of Bostonians are “very happy.”
9th Best College Town to Live in During the Summer – Although 70,000 college students annually flood Boston from September to May, the city doesn’t turn into a tumbleweed-churnin’ ghost town over the summer. BroBible named Boston the 9th best summertime college town.
7th Best Park in America: Boston Public Garden – TripAdvisor crafted its list of America’s Top 25 Parks, and Boston’s very own public garden was named 7th best in the country. Makes you appreciate those swan boats a little more.
Museum of Science is in the Country’s Top 10 – This year, Members of American MENSA chose their top 10 lists for best science museums in the country, and the educators placed the Museum of Science at number 9, while the scientists ranked it as number 8.
The Bad
6th Preppiest City in America – Yes, we’re in New England, and yes, preppiness is a way of life. But in my humble opinion, preppy is so passé. Still, Boston was named number 6 on Movoto’s list of preppiest in the country, and it could have been worse.
Most Expensive City to Visit in the US – This one seems ridiculous, but yes, CheapHotels.org has touted Boston the most expensive city to visit in the country, thanks to the steep hotel prices.
14th Worst City to Raise a Baby – Sorry, babies. And everyone born in Boston. The Hub is apparently the 14th worst city to raise a baby, according to Redfin. Hey, at least we’re not as bad as number five Worcester.
5th Most Stressed Out City in America – It doesn’t matter how much partying we’re doing, Boston is the 5th most stressed out city in the country, according to neuro drinks. Studies found that 72 percent of Bostonians reported feeling stressed out at least half the time on a daily basis. Maybe we drink to unwind?
3rd Snobbiest City in the Country – According to Travel + Leisure, Boston is full of snooty elitists. If you scoffed at that news, you’re probably part of the problem.
7th Most Overrated City in the US – Woah, woah, woah. Who you callin’ overrated? Complex Media named Boston the 7th most underwhelming, overrated city, claiming our historical accolades don’t live up to the hype, and we’re all a bunch of sport-obsessed, quiet segregationists. Whatever.
Dead Last State for Pet Ownership – This one’s kind of a doozy. Massachusetts ranked 50 out of 50 states on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s list of pet owners. Only 50.4 percent of Mass. homes reported owning pets. For shame!
The Ugly
Massachusetts Ranked 3rd for Porn Consumption – Take our pets and give us porn, apparently. Pornhub.com teamed up with BuzzFeed this year to chart the states that watch the most porn, and good old Mass. came in third, right below D.C. and Hawaii. Ew.
