Cities vie for all sorts of distinctions: greenest; friendliest; wealthiest; most innovative. Portland, Maine, is just tickled to bits about topping the "Top-10 Coziest Cities in America." Added bonus: it beat out its regional arch-rival Boston.
Boston may have MIT, Bunker Hill, and an Olympic bid, but there's one thing it doesn't have: maximum coziness. After winning that title last year, it now moves a ways up Interstate 95 to Portland, Maine. Whatever Boston can boast by way of history, walkability, charm, and friendliness, Portland can claim more of. That is, at least, according to Honeywell Heaters, which sponsors the rankings.
Lest a ranking by a heater company seem biased towards cold-weather cities, sunny Santa Barbara, Calif., and slightly-less-sunny Santa Rosa, Calif., took spots Nos. 2 and 6, respectively.
What is Portland's key to success?
“Per capita, we have more restaurants in Portland than any other city in the United States,” said Brennan. “People feel they can come to the city and not have to work very hard to find a restaurant. And they feel a connectedness to the city by the fact that we have so many restaurants, and they are so intermingled with the essence of the city.”
Even if Boston is a little miffed, at least they're not Portland, Ore. Though the northwest Portland is used to being at the top of city rankings, it took only tenth place on the coziness scale.
FULL STORY: Portland Replaces Boston as America’s Coziest City
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.