Scottsdale is ranked No. 4 city to live in

by Beth Duckett - Sept. 22, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Scottsdale has been named the fourth-best city in the nation to live by Businessweek.com, but not because of its lavish resorts or celebrity sightings.

Instead, in the online ranking of America's 50 best cities released this week, Scottsdale was recognized by the site for more fundamental quality-of-life reasons: superior schools, low unemployment and a bevy of parks.

Businessweek.com analyzed 100 of the nation's largest cities and towns, weighing qualities such as school scores, number of restaurants and educational attainment of residents.

Scottsdale edged out other well-known cities, including San Francisco and Washington, D.C., to secure a spot in the top five.

"It's an honor to be in the top five, and we hope to see Scottsdale move up the list in the years to come," Mayor Jim Lane said.

Gilbert (41), Chandler (45) and Phoenix (49) were the other Arizona cities to make the list.

The top spot went to Raleigh, N.C., which was lauded for its cultural graces, good schools and sprawling parklands.

Scottsdale outperformed all but one other city on a school-related index.

The city's score on an educational-quality index was 79.74, second only to Irvine, Calif.

The score was based on a combination of state standardized-test scores and the annual report card known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, said Kristan Kirsh, a spokeswoman for Greatschools.org, which provided data to Businessweek.com.

The article cited Scottsdale's high number of park acres per person and low unemployment.

The unemployment rate was listed at 6.3 percent, which was the average from January through May, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Arizona's most recent unemployment rate was 9.3 percent in August.

"Like many other Arizona cities, the foreclosure rate is high, but Scottsdale bucks the trend with low unemployment," Businessweek.com said.

Lane said Scottsdale has invested in its quality of life and international brand. The city is working to elevate its cache through redevelopment efforts on McDowell Road and investment in new infrastructure and tourism projects.

Among Arizona municipalities, Gilbert scored well on almost everything except cultural offerings and foreclosures. The town has few bars, restaurants, museums, libraries and colleges, which set back its rating, Businessweek.com said.

Chandler had some of the highest-ranked schools and a low violent-crime rate but suffered from a high foreclosure rate, according to the ranking.

Phoenix was lauded for its weather and golf courses but ranked lower because of its high foreclosure rate and a low percentage of people with bachelor's degrees.

After Raleigh, the highest-ranked cities were Arlington, Va.; Honolulu; Scottsdale; Irvine; and Washington. Rounding out the top 10 were San Diego; Virginia Beach, Va.; San Francisco and Anchorage, Alaska.

Data was provided by a number of sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bloomberg, RealtyTrac and Sperling's BestPlaces, a research company.