What Makes Home Sweet

Rating the most desirable cities in the U.S.

The ideal place to live in the U.S.? Most of the 5 million Americans who move to a new state each year might settle for San Francisco, say, or Santa Barbara, Calif, or Daytona Beach, Fla. Tucson, Ariz., and New Orleans have their adherents, as do Boston and New York City.

In fact, Pittsburgh, a city that has often been maligned, would be a better bet than any of those popular choices. Cleveland would be worth serious consideration. By some counts, Chicago is superior to San Diego as a place to live.

These findings are only a few of the surprising conclusions in Places Rated Almanac (Rand McNally; $11.95 paperback), by Richard Boyer and David Savageau. The authors, who live in small Massachusetts communities not mentioned in their book, spent four years on research. The result: a 386-page study that rates 277 U.S. metropolitan areas on the basis of such factors as climate, housing, crime, transportation, education, recreation, the arts, taxes and jobs. Boyer, a former editor, and Savageau, an executive headhunter, rank each area only on statistics. Such nonmeasurable considerations as a city's charm or the quality of its restaurants are not weighed.

By these standards, the 196 sq. mi. Atlanta area emerges as the best all-round place to live in America. It is ranked No. 1 in transportation and high in such categories as health care, schools, cultural facilities and weather. Atlanta's major drawback, according to Places Rated, is its crime problem--it has a murder rate "that is twice the national average for metro areas." The Washington, D.C.Maryland-Virginia area scores second in all-round desirability, though it, too, suffers from a high crime rate. Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, N.C., is the third most livable area, largely because it scores well in most categories, with no serious drawbacks.

So what makes Pittsburgh special?

The Pennsylvania city's fourth-rank status rests largely on its low crime rate, reasonable housing costs, equable climate and access to recreational facilities and the arts. Cleveland ranks 14th because of its opportunities for leisure, arts and health care; it ties with San Francisco-Oakland, which suffers from a very high crime rate and dizzying housing costs.

Asheville, N.C., and Knoxville, Term., head the dozen areas recommended for retirement. The list does not include a single city in Florida, California, Texas or Arizona. Reason: those Sunbelt states' expensive housing, high crime rates and air-conditioning costs. On the other hand, cities such as Reno, Las Vegas and Dallas-Fort Worth offer the young single person an ideal mix of economic opportunity and outdoor activities.

The best all-round climate, computed according to a complex formula, belongs to El Paso, despite occasional sandstorms, many 90DEG days and only an 8-in. annual rainfall. Chicago is not among the twelve windiest cities. The lowest-priced single-family homes (average: $26,279) are in Terre Haute, Ind.; the most expensive ($169,571) in Honolulu. The safest area is St. Cloud, Minn. The foggiest city is not San Francisco but Charleston, W. Va. (111 days a year). And, contrary to popular belief, Seattle, the fifth-ranked area, is not one of the rainiest cities. With 39 in. annually, it gets less rain than 18th-rated Boston--but more often.

The two worst areas for car theft are Boston and Jersey City. Despite its pleasant environment, Atlanta is the second worst city for water pollution, after Albuquerque. State taxes, as a percentage of household income, are highest in the Minneapolis-St. Paul and Rochester, Minn., areas. The five metro areas rated worst overall, in descending order: Panama City, Fla.; Lowell, Mass.; Pine Bluff, Ark.; Fitchburg-Leominster, Mass.; and, dead last, Lawrence-Haverhill, Mass.

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