The Best Cities For Artists -- And Real Estate Investors

"Want to know where a great place to invest in real estate will be five or 10 years from now? Look at where artists are living now."

"Sociologists and policymakers have long been touting art and culture as the cure-all to economically depressed neighborhoods, cities, and regions. The reason? It has been proven that artists-defined as self-employed visual artists, actors, musicians, writers, etc.-can stimulate local economies in a number of ways.

Artists are often an early sign of neighborhood gentrification. 'Artists are the advance guard of what's hip and cool,' says Bert Sperling, founder and president of Portland (Ore.)-based Sperling's Best Places and compiler of BusinessWeek.com's list of the Best Places for Artists in America."

Leading the list of cities is Los Angeles, with over 56 artistic establishments for every 100,000 people, and a young and diverse population. Other stalwarts like New York and San Francisco make the top ten, along with art meccas like Santa Fe, New Mexico. Carson City, Nevada, and Kingston, New York also make the list.