Yahoo Finance The most exciting cities in America: winners in each category
1/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners virginia beach
The most park acres per person: Virginia Beach, Virginia
The Virginia Beach boardwalk is pictured. "We looked at the amount of park acres per person because we felt that everyone needs a place to reconnect with nature, go for a picnic, or play a quick pickup game," Movoto explains. Still, Virginia Beach didn't manage to place in the top 10 most exciting cities.Thinkstock![<b>Fewest fast-food restaurants per square mile: El Paso, Texas</b><br><br>In <a href="http://bit.ly/YDI14X" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Movoto's words;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Movoto's words</a>, "a McDonald’s on every corner is about as exciting as a shot of warm milk before bed. What makes a place unique and exciting is diversity; this includes different types of restaurants." El Paso didn't place in the <a href="http://yhoo.it/15DiawV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:top 10 most exciting cities overall;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">top 10 most exciting cities overall</a>, though.]()
2/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners el paso
Fewest fast-food restaurants per square mile: El Paso, Texas
In Movoto's words, "a McDonald’s on every corner is about as exciting as a shot of warm milk before bed. What makes a place unique and exciting is diversity; this includes different types of restaurants." El Paso didn't place in the top 10 most exciting cities overall, though.Thinkstock![<b>The highest proportion of residents age 20 to 34: Columbus, Ohio</b><br><br>"We know we’ll hear some complaints" about this criterion, Movoto writes. "We’re prepared. We looked at the percent of the city’s population between the ages of 20 and 34 years old. We aren’t saying that older residents are boring, but a younger population does tend to be more excitable." Columbus scored highest in this category, but <a href="http://yhoo.it/15DiawV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:didn't place in the top 10 most exciting cities;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">didn't place in the top 10 most exciting cities</a> overall.]()
3/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners columbus
The highest proportion of residents age 20 to 34: Columbus, Ohio
"We know we’ll hear some complaints" about this criterion, Movoto writes. "We’re prepared. We looked at the percent of the city’s population between the ages of 20 and 34 years old. We aren’t saying that older residents are boring, but a younger population does tend to be more excitable." Columbus scored highest in this category, but didn't place in the top 10 most exciting cities overall.Thinkstock![<b>Fewest big-box stores per square mile: Detroit, top picture, and Boston</b><br><br>As with fast-food joints, big-box stores scream "boring," according to Movoto. Neither Detroit nor Boston has a Target or Walmart within city limits.]()
4/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners detroit boston
Fewest big-box stores per square mile: Detroit, top picture, and Boston
As with fast-food joints, big-box stores scream "boring," according to Movoto. Neither Detroit nor Boston has a Target or Walmart within city limits.Thinkstock![<b>The most bars per square mile: San Francisco</b><br><br>The bar at Vesuvio Cafe in North Beach, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/codifi/5732358368/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:shot by Flickr user CoDiFi;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">shot by Flickr user CoDiFi</a>. Movoto considers bars a place to hang out and socialize, not just drink -- and therefore an important sign of how exciting a city is. San Francisco "easily" took the top spot in this category, <a href="http://yhoo.it/15DiawV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:helping it to place high on the list;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">helping it to place high on the list</a> of most exciting cities overall.]()
5/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners san francisco bar
The most bars per square mile: San Francisco
The bar at Vesuvio Cafe in North Beach, shot by Flickr user CoDiFi. Movoto considers bars a place to hang out and socialize, not just drink -- and therefore an important sign of how exciting a city is. San Francisco "easily" took the top spot in this category, helping it to place high on the list of most exciting cities overall.Flickr![<b>The most music venues per square mile: San Francisco</b><br><br>"There's something electrifying about live music," says Movoto. And San Francisco ranks highest for density of music venues. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, <a href="http://bit.ly/Yt4BuE" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:photographed by Flickr user Kwong Yee Cheng;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">photographed by Flickr user Kwong Yee Cheng</a>, is pictured here.]()
6/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners san francisco music
The most music venues per square mile: San Francisco
"There's something electrifying about live music," says Movoto. And San Francisco ranks highest for density of music venues. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, photographed by Flickr user Kwong Yee Cheng, is pictured here.Flickr![<b>The most theater companies per square mile: Oakland</b><br><br> "If a city wants to keep people around, it needs to support the arts. Theater companies are a good place to start," says Movoto. This was one of four categories that Oakland won, giving it a <a href="http://yhoo.it/15DiawV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:surprising showing among the 10 most exciting cities;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">surprising showing among the 10 most exciting cities</a>. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/84556056@N00/3882727973/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Photo by Flickr user damianpenney;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Photo by Flickr user damianpenney</a>.]()
7/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners oakland night view
The most theater companies per square mile: Oakland
"If a city wants to keep people around, it needs to support the arts. Theater companies are a good place to start," says Movoto. This was one of four categories that Oakland won, giving it a surprising showing among the 10 most exciting cities. Photo by Flickr user damianpenney.Flickr![The most museums per square mile: Oakland<br><br>This is one of four categories that Oakland won, <a href="http://yhoo.it/15DiawV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:pushing it the top;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">pushing it the top</a> of Movoto's 10 most exciting cities. <br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/markhogan/5806945091/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Photo of the Oakland Museum of California by Flickr user mark.hogan;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Photo of the Oakland Museum of California by Flickr user mark.hogan</a>.]()
8/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners oakland museum
The most museums per square mile: Oakland
This is one of four categories that Oakland won, pushing it the top of Movoto's 10 most exciting cities.
Photo of the Oakland Museum of California by Flickr user mark.hogan.Flickr![<strong>Most movie theaters per square mile: Oakland</strong><br><br>This photo of Oakland's locally famous Grand Lake theater was <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/479848405/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:taken by Flickr user Thomas Hawk in 2007;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">taken by Flickr user Thomas Hawk in 2007</a>.]()
9/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners oakland movie theater
Most movie theaters per square mile: Oakland
This photo of Oakland's locally famous Grand Lake theater was taken by Flickr user Thomas Hawk in 2007.Flickr![The population of an exciting city has to be diverse, says Movoto. <br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thewildrover/101503103/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Photo by Flickr user dreamingyakker;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Photo by Flickr user dreamingyakker</a>.<br><br> <b><a href="http://yhoo.it/15DiawV" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:See Movoto's 10 most exciting cities on Yahoo! Homes' Spaces blog.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">See Movoto's 10 most exciting cities on Yahoo! Homes' Spaces blog.</a></b>]()
10/10The most exciting cities in America: category winners oakland s
The population of an exciting city has to be diverse, says Movoto.
Photo by Flickr user dreamingyakker.
See Movoto's 10 most exciting cities on Yahoo! Homes' Spaces blog.Flickr
The bloggers at Movoto Real Estate recently ranked the 10 most exciting cities in America based on a number of categories: park acreage per resident; density of bars, movie theaters, music venues, museums and theater companies; a youthful population (defined as ages 20 to 34); population diversity; and two negative indicators, the density of fast-food restaurants and Target/Walmart stores.
Pictured you'll find the winners of each individual category.
To see the 10 cities that topped the overall rankings, visit Yahoo! Homes' Spaces blog.
