Top 100 cities for 2020-

[Omaha Cowboy]

A new report by Resonance ranks the top 100 cities in 2020 to “live, work and play”.. They use 6 core categories to come up with their final rankings.. Omaha ranks as an impressive #36. New York is #1. Other cities of interest- Kansas City #43, Des Moines Iowa #60, Wichita Kansas #79, Oklahoma City #64 and Tulsa #86.. FYI- to read the free report, you have to subscribe and have it sent to your email. Here is the link and it is harmless to subscribe. I think it’s worth the free subscription-

https://resonanceco.com/resonance-repor ... NOMmJKQT09

This is an interesting read...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[BRoss]

Nice find!

36 Omaha, Nebraska
Population - Metro 941,924

Income Equality - 16
Weather - 26

The discreet economic powerhouse of the Midwest lives large while keeping it small.

Nebraska’s largest city has always worked overtime to carve out its place on the banks of the Missouri River in pretty much the middle of the (contiguous) country. Billionaire Warren Buffett’s decision to stay in Omaha—where he lives in a modest home he bought for $31,500 more than 60 years ago—has always been a source of curiosity. But the Berkshire Hathaway CEO’s hometown loyalty doesn’t surprise Omaha locals, who know that their city is one of the best spots in the country to start a business, raise a family and let your hair down on a Saturday night. Thanks in no small part to Buffett, Omaha earns our #5 ranking for Prosperity, with the most Fortune 500s (eight) of any city with less than a million people. It also boasts the second-lowest unemployment rate as of May 2020, and an impressive #16 ranking on the Gini Index of Income Equality. But it’s not just stalwarts like Mutual of Omaha that keep this city bustling: a growing tech sector has earned Omaha the nickname “Silicon Prairie.” It’s important to note that Omahans work to live, too, as evidenced by its #31 ranking for Nightlife and #40 for Shopping in the country (pre-COVID-19, anyway).

[Omaha Cowboy]

Nice find!

36 Omaha, Nebraska
Population - Metro 941,924

Income Equality - 16
Weather - 26

The discreet economic powerhouse of the Midwest lives large while keeping it small.

Nebraska’s largest city has always worked overtime to carve out its place on the banks of the Missouri River in pretty much the middle of the (contiguous) country. Billionaire Warren Buffett’s decision to stay in Omaha—where he lives in a modest home he bought for $31,500 more than 60 years ago—has always been a source of curiosity. But the Berkshire Hathaway CEO’s hometown loyalty doesn’t surprise Omaha locals, who know that their city is one of the best spots in the country to start a business, raise a family and let your hair down on a Saturday night. Thanks in no small part to Buffett, Omaha earns our #5 ranking for Prosperity, with the most Fortune 500s (eight) of any city with less than a million people. It also boasts the second-lowest unemployment rate as of May 2020, and an impressive #16 ranking on the Gini Index of Income Equality. But it’s not just stalwarts like Mutual of Omaha that keep this city bustling: a growing tech sector has earned Omaha the nickname “Silicon Prairie.” It’s important to note that Omahans work to live, too, as evidenced by its #31 ranking for Nightlife and #40 for Shopping in the country (pre-COVID-19, anyway).

Thanks ..

I think it’s even more impressive in that the only “regional cities” which rank higher than Omaha are- Chicago, Minneapolis, Madison, Wisconsin and (I know it’s a regional stretch) Dallas.. I like that they used 6 core categories, all being measurable, and came up with their rankings...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Dark Eyes]

New York City is #1?

Let's see....

NYC: Highest COVID-19 per-capita death rate in the US by a wide margin
NYC: Homicides up 21% in the first six months of 2020
NYC: Highest cost of living of any city in the US, including most expensive housing costs in the US
NYC: DiBlasio is the Mayor ('nuff said)

Yep, sounds like an ideal place to live. Or die, take your pick.

[Omahacritic]

Nice find!

36 Omaha, Nebraska
Population - Metro 941,924

Income Equality - 16
Weather - 26

The discreet economic powerhouse of the Midwest lives large while keeping it small.

Nebraska’s largest city has always worked overtime to carve out its place on the banks of the Missouri River in pretty much the middle of the (contiguous) country. Billionaire Warren Buffett’s decision to stay in Omaha—where he lives in a modest home he bought for $31,500 more than 60 years ago—has always been a source of curiosity. But the Berkshire Hathaway CEO’s hometown loyalty doesn’t surprise Omaha locals, who know that their city is one of the best spots in the country to start a business, raise a family and let your hair down on a Saturday night. Thanks in no small part to Buffett, Omaha earns our #5 ranking for Prosperity, with the most Fortune 500s (eight) of any city with less than a million people. It also boasts the second-lowest unemployment rate as of May 2020, and an impressive #16 ranking on the Gini Index of Income Equality. But it’s not just stalwarts like Mutual of Omaha that keep this city bustling: a growing tech sector has earned Omaha the nickname “Silicon Prairie.” It’s important to note that Omahans work to live, too, as evidenced by its #31 ranking for Nightlife and #40 for Shopping in the country (pre-COVID-19, anyway).

I always find these “surveys” pedantic and rather subjective. And outside of conversation pieces, of little use. Soon another publication will have a different “survey”. For instance, why are their six measurements better than someone else’s mix of six?

Weather ... who decides how a weather preference is measured? Is it mean temperature? #of days over 90? or below 32? For me, worst thing about Nebraska weather is the wind.

“Income inequality” ... this can easily become the least objective measurement. And for me, the ease to advance and exceed the median income is highly important.

Still, if their categories are the ones that matter most to a person, the number for Big O look fine.

[NUub]

New York City is #1?

Let's see....

NYC: Highest COVID-19 per-capita death rate in the US by a wide margin
NYC: Homicides up 21% in the first six months of 2020
NYC: Highest cost of living of any city in the US, including most expensive housing costs in the US
NYC: DiBlasio is the Mayor ('nuff said)

Yep, sounds like an ideal place to live. Or die, take your pick.

I agree, NYC looks like it is beginning to look like it is trending back to the grisly era of the 70's-early 80's. Disastrous work by the mayor.

[Omaha Cowboy]

What I like most about this study, is they “show their work” and break down the 6 core categories..showIng what’s being measured (26 areas total) within each. Sure these rankings can be (and mostly are) subjective.. But people will look into one that’s been researched as extensively as this, and will take these rankings into consideration. That Omaha ranks high here, is yet another piece of positive pub. Omaha is trying to attract more millennial talent into the metro and this can help..and It’s another feather in Omaha’s sales cap..

As it relates to New York and the rest of the top 10- the usual city suspects don’t surprise me. But we also can’t deny their culture, offerings or history either. I personally, prefer living in a metro of the Omaha to Kansas City size.. If I was to live in a true big metro, I’d live in one that reminds me most of Omaha and that would be Dallas-Ft Worth..

In any case, here is the following criteria and measurements used..which came up with their rankings-

“THE PERFORMANCE OF AMERICA’S BEST CITIES: THE METHODOLOGY
Resonance Consultancy ranks American cities (principal cities of metropolitan areas with populations of more than 500,000) by using a combination of statistical performance and qualitative evaluations by locals and visitors in 26 areas grouped into six core categories. Principal cities are defined as the largest city in each metropolitan statistical area.

THE SIX CORE CATEGORIES
Pc PLACE Po PEOPLE Pg PROGRAMMING Pd PRODUCT Ps PROSPERITY Pm PROMOTION
Pc PLACE
Our most layered category quantifies a city’s physical sense of place. To score a city within our Place category, we evaluate the perceived quality of its natural and built environments. From how often the sun shines to the safety of the streets, several readily measurable, oft-cited factors influence our perceptions.
Weather Average number of sunny days (National Climatic Data Center, Weatherbase)
Safety Violent crime rate (U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Sights & Landmarks Number of quality points of interest, neighborhoods and landmarks recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com)
Parks & Outdoors Number of quality parks and outdoor activities recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com)
COVID-19 Infections Number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (county level data, retrieved July 8, 2020) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Pd PRODUCT
This is a ranking of the “hardware” of a city—often the most difficult metric for cities to get right. Our product category studies a city’s key institutions, attractions and infrastructure. A city’s infrastructure and institutions shape its identity via the quantity, quality and reputation of these “products.” Expensive and difficult to develop and maintain, exceptional, recognizable products are often found only in large, cosmopolitan cities.
Airport Connectivity Number of direct destinations served by the city’s airports (Google Flights)
Attractions Number of quality attractions recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com)
Museums Number of quality museums and arts institutions recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com)
University Ranking Score of the top local university (U.S. News & World Report, Best National Universities)
Convention Center Size of the largest convention center (official convention center website)
Professional Sports Teams Number of major league sports teams (multiple sources)
RESONANCECO.COM 06

Po PEOPLE
The more diverse a city’s population, the more it produces global ideas... on a local scale. Human capital is often a city’s most valuable resource. To evaluate the relative strength of human capital from one city to the next, we consider the diversity of the city’s population— something of proven importance when it comes to attracting talent.
Foreign-Born Residents Percentage of foreign-born residents (U.S. Census, American Community Survey)
Educational Attainment Percentage of the population with a bachelor’s degree or higher (U.S. Census, American Community Survey)

Ps PROSPERITY
A well-paid, economically secure citizenry facilitates stewardship and innovation. In general, beliefs about the wealth and prosperity of a city are shaped by statistics such as the income of citizens, the standard of living and the presence or absence of large, recognizable corporations—despite the fact that start-ups and innovation increasingly drive a city’s development and economic growth.
Fortune 500 Companies Number of Fortune 500 corporate headquarters (Fortune.com)
Household Income Median household income (U.S. Census, American Community Survey)
Employment Unemployment rate following the COVID-19 lockdowns (May 2020; Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Income Equality The city’s Gini Index, a simple measure of the distribution of income across income percentiles in a population (U.S. Census, American Community Survey)

Pm PROMOTION
A city’s ability to tell its story (and help others do the same) depends on how it incentivizes and rewards sharing of experiences by locals and visitors. The number and frequency of media coverage, online articles, references and place-based recommendations influence our perception of cities, whether the news is good or bad. Today, residents, businesses and visitors promote a city to the world more than city marketers or chambers of commerce. Resonance ranks a city’s Promotion performance based on the number of stories, references and recommendations shared online about that city.
Facebook Check-ins Number of Facebook check-ins (Facebook.com)
Google Search Number of Google search results (Google.com)
TripAdvisor Reviews Number of TripAdvisor reviews (TripAdvisor.com)
Instagram Hashtags Most Instagrammed city (Instagram.com)
Google Trends Popularity on Google Trends in the past 12 months (Trends.Google.com)

Pg PROGRAMMING
This category measures the experiential pillars of a great visit: food, shows, shopping and nightlife. If our Product category is the “hardware” of cities and destinations, the mosaic of cultural programming and lifestyle experiences they offer is the “software” that makes
them run—including the subcategories of Shopping, Culture, Dining and Nightlife. While such programming initiatives are individually insignificant, their sum fosters a community’s connection to place.
Culture Number of quality performing arts and cultural experiences recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com)
Nightlife Number of quality nightlife experiences recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com)
Dining Number of quality restaurants and culinary experiences recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com)
Shopping Number of quality shopping experiences recommended by locals and visitors (TripAdvisor.com).”...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Omahacritic]

It’s good they gave details of their criteria for each each category. But they should have added ... “as measured by those who bother to post a Trip Advisor rating”. Because TripAdvisor is the predominant measuring stick.

Still, good conversation piece.

[Omaha Cowboy]

TripAdviser is one of multiple resource sites used.. But for that particular site, yes, they can only use what content is available.. Perhaps it’s already presumed consumers know that the data used is what’s been posted by users..

In any case, it’s nice to see them be transparent enough to show where data was obtained and how it was utilized to come up with their rankings..

These lists can range from fun conversation piece, to serious data people can use to assist in aiding in a relocation process/decision..

In the end, I believe we can all agree it’s another piece of positive pub for Omaha..and a welcome break from Covid-19 talk...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Omaha Cowboy]

Just an FYI- I shared this report with my friend Jeff Beals who co hosts the Grow Omaha Radio Show every Saturday morning..

Look for this data to be mentioned in a show segment sometime soon...

Ciao..LiO...Peace