Portland Is Still the Only Livable City in the U.S., Apparently

For the second year in a row, Portland is the only city in the United States that is even basically livable, though just barely, according to Monocle, a London-based culture and global affairs magazine. 

"Portland has gone from obscurity to an exemplar of US urban good life," writes the magazine for its annual Quality of Life survey, sponsored this year by AKZONobel, a sustainable paint and chemical company. "Farmers' markets and restaurants overflow with hallucinogenic bounty thanks to the Willamette Valley, and, as important, urban sprawl controls that preserve land." 

The review was written by Monocle contributor (and Portland Monthly editor) Zach Dundas, who writes that one of the reasons why these denizens of London believe Portland to be a possible location to live, if one MUST leave the continent, is that people swim the Willamette on their lunch breaks. "Can you bring a towel to work (for a cheeky outdoor lunchtime swim)? The Willamette is safe to swim in after a major environmental clean-up. Go for it." 

But don't get too excited, Portland. This year the monocled ones have dropped us from 23 out of 25 to 25 out of 25, saying that if we want to stay livable by British standards, "Public transport should continue into the night, while neighbourhoods on the city's fringes should receive basic amenities such as pavements."

So, let's get this together, guys. If we slip off this list, it may be impossible for true citizens of the world to visit our country while maintaining the quality of life they require. Invest in pavements (sidewalks? actual pavement? bands from Stockton?) and busses. Do it for America. Do it for the world.

See the full review here:

WWeek 2015