“Places Rated” Sweepstakes
In acting, there are the Oscars, the Emmies, the Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild awards — not to mention countless film festivals (Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, etc.) each awarding its own equivalent of statuettes and blue ribbons.
So, too, there is now a cottage industry of publications that rank the “best” places.
For families.
For singles.
For job seekers.
For retirees.
For bicyclists.
You name it.
What’s really at stake isn’t which cities garner the most awards.
Rather, it’s which publications sell the most copies — and ultimately, attract the most advertising dollars.
Leading and Lesser Lights
If Money Magazine and USA Today are the Oscars and the Emmies of the “places rated” sweepstakes, “Men’s Journal” would be . . . more akin to the SAG awards.
That said, it has just named Minneapolis one of its “top 18 coolest towns.”
Forgetting that a city in the middle of a 3 million-plus metro area really isn’t anyone’s definition of a “town,” the accolade is still nice to have; apparently, the magazine’s writers were impressed by Minneapolis’ Chain of Lakes, extensive park system — and now, burgeoning bike trails.
Check out City Pages’ blog to see how Minneapolis ranks in various other categories.
