New York tops Resonance’s annual list of the best cities in the United States based on criteria including diversity, weather, and even Instagram hashtags.
Each city was ranked based on a combination of user-generated data from locals and visitors from TripAdvisor and Instagram, as well as core statistics, including median household income and crime rates. Those ranking metrics covered 23 areas grouped into six core categories: Place, People, Programming, Product, Prosperity, and Promotion.
1. New York City
For the fourth year in a row, New York City took the top spot in Resonance’s annual rankings, also taking the number one spots in the place, product, and programming categories. But since the data was pulled to determine these rankings, New York became the nation’s COVID-19 epicenter. As New York slowly emerges from lockdown this summer, it looks quite different. Its top-rated museums are still closed and many of its residents have abandoned city living for the safety of the suburbs or countryside. But having survived 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, New Yorkers know not only how to get through tough times but also how to innovate in light of them. In the past few months, cultural institutions like MoMA and the Metropolitan Opera have taken their offerings online to educate and entertain people beyond the city limits for free. Restaurants that never offered takeout and delivery before instantly adapted to the new normal, while the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park pivoted to cooking free meals for New Yorkers facing hunger.
2. San Francisco, California
As AFAR’s original hometown, San Francisco is one of our favorite cities in the United States for obvious reasons. But when you look at the data, it earned this top spot for reasons beyond our own personal preferences. Thanks to the Bay Area’s world-renowned universities like Stanford and UC Berkeley and high concentration of Fortune 500 companies, San Francisco has one of the most educated, diverse, and prosperous populations. That said, the challenges the city’s homeless population face cannot be ignored. But city officials along with the governor and San Francisco’s destination marketing organization are looking for fixes, including adding mental health housing.
And while COVID-19 has closed the city’s iconic museums, including SFMoMA and the de Young Museum, for now, the Asian Art Museum has a massive expansion project to look forward to with 13,000 additional square feet of gallery space and a 7,500-square-foot rooftop terrace.
3. Washington, D.C.
Unsurprisingly, the nation’s capital scores well for its many free museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture and other Smithsonian institutions like the National Air and Space Museum. In addition to all of its history, there are lots of new things happening in D.C. that make it worth adding to your post-COVID list of places to go—especially if you’re interested in traveling for food. A 12,500-square-foot food hall called the Roost is slated to open in Capitol Hill in 2020, followed closely by the West Half with a brewery and cafés near the Nationals’ ballpark, and Market 7, which will be a hub of Black-owned businesses, including a 7,000-square-foot food hall in D.C.’s Ward 7 area.
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
A city built entirely around its tourism industry, Las Vegas easily dominated the attractions category and placed highly in restaurants, nightlife, and culture. Its desert locale also contributes to nonstop sunshine and a top rating in the weather category. The COVID-19 closures brought Las Vegas to a screeching halt in March, but the first wave of hotel reopenings in June 2020 offered a sign of hope for the city’s economy and the return of tourism.
5. Miami, Florida
A perennial winter escape for many East Coast residents, Miami’s good weather and miles of public beaches also make it an ideal city to live in. It’s home to the most foreign-born residents in the country, which means travelers can seek out a wide variety of cuisines, art, and cultural experiences in neighborhoods like Little Havana and Little Haiti.
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