Top town
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When it comes to topping lists, Madison tops the list, or at least keeps itself strong in the running. According to any number of magazines, newspapers, and surveys, Madison’s among the top towns, if not the top town, for everything from starting a business to riding a bike to having a healthy heart. Does the fact that Madison tops so many charts make it the greatest town in the world? Probably not. But at least we have stats that say we kick the crap out of Milwaukee. That in mind, Decider narrowed down—and, of course, ranked—the top five recent Madison-ranking surveys.
5. CNN Money’s Top 100 Places to Live and Launch (2008)
Ranking: 46
Accolades: The UW Campus “provides a talented, educated labor pool for startups.”
Detractions: “Frigid winters”
Places outranked: Honolulu (67), Orlando (73), West Des Moines (94)
Places that supposedly beat Madison: Fargo (24), Santa Fe (17)
Seriously?: Seriously? Fargo? Look CNN, North Dakota is probably the only place in America that hits the daily double of having goofier accents and worse winters than we do. And Santa Fe? Unless you’re into dream catchers and a 1:1 ratio of massage therapists to private citizens, you’d die of boredom in Santa Fe after 10 days. Meanwhile, Madison has the sixth-hottest biotech industry in the world, absolutely no prospect of droughts, and brats at Mallard’s games are still only $2.
4. Endless Simmer’s Top 10 Foods For Drunk College Students (2008)
Ranking: 10 (for Ian’s Pizza’s mac and cheese pizza)
Other list notables: This food blog also gives props to the Duane Purvis All-American (No. 8), basically a cheeseburger slathered in peanut butter and available to Purdue students. Near the University of Pittsburgh, the Fathead Saloon serves up the South Side Slope (No. 6): a giant kielbasa, fried pierogies, onions, and cheese on a bun with olives. Mulligan’s Tavern near the University of Georgia dishes out the Luther Burger (No. 1). Luther Vandross supposedly engineered this bacon cheeseburger, which is served inside of grilled Krispy Kreme donuts.
Madison drunk-food delight this list ignores: Why not include dishes people can truly only eat when they’re too whacked out to conceive of the horror headed for their mouths? For that, nothing outdoes Burrito Drive’s White Trash burrito, filled with SPAM, tater tots, baked beans, and Velveeta.
3. National Geographic’s Green Cities (2005)
Ranking: Top 10
Why Madison made the list: The main reason Mad Town copped a spot on this prestigious list was our devotion to alternative transportation. We get mad props because 10 percent of our populace commutes on foot, by bicycle, or by bus. We also reap accolades for being at the forefront of curbside recycling, having “excellent” air quality, and a bike-to-car ratio of 3:2.
Similar list placements: Country Home’s Top 25 Greenest Cities, 2008, No. 17 (No. 8 in 2007); Prevention’s Top 100 Walking Cities, 2007, No. 1; Yahoo Real Estate’s Top 10 Outdoor Towns, 2007, No. 4; Outside’s Best Road Biking Towns, 2007, No.1.
Dirty secret: While Madison is certainly bike-friendly town, what a lot of these evaluators don’t know is that since 100 percent of Madison’s roads are under construction 100 percent of the time, cyclists rarely enjoy a smooth ride.
2. Best Life’s 100 Best Places To Raise A Family
Ranking: 8
Why Madison made the list: Our high per-capita pediatrician ratio.
Why that’s weird: Do our kids get sick more?
Similar list placements: Bizjournals’ America’s Smartest Cities (No. 1 in 2008); Forbes’ Best Places to Educate Your Child (No. 2 in 2007); Dog Fancy’s Nine Cities Where Dogs Rule; Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s Top 25 Cities for Empty Nesters; Country Home’s 25 Best Places To Live; Money Magazine’s 100 Best Places To Live
1. Men’s Health’s Best Teeth In America
Ranking: 1
Why we smile so much: That’s right—we’ve got the pearliest whites in the US of A! We have the lowest rate of permanent tooth extractions, 36 percent of us floss on a regular basis, our dental visit frequency is off the charts, and our water’s got more fluoride in it than Crest.
5. CNN Money’s Top 100 Places to Live and Launch (2008)
Ranking: 46
Accolades: The UW Campus “provides a talented, educated labor pool for startups.”
Detractions: “Frigid winters”
Places outranked: Honolulu (67), Orlando (73), West Des Moines (94)
Places that supposedly beat Madison: Fargo (24), Santa Fe (17)
Seriously?: Seriously? Fargo? Look CNN, North Dakota is probably the only place in America that hits the daily double of having goofier accents and worse winters than we do. And Santa Fe? Unless you’re into dream catchers and a 1:1 ratio of massage therapists to private citizens, you’d die of boredom in Santa Fe after 10 days. Meanwhile, Madison has the sixth-hottest biotech industry in the world, absolutely no prospect of droughts, and brats at Mallard’s games are still only $2.
4. Endless Simmer’s Top 10 Foods For Drunk College Students (2008)
Ranking: 10 (for Ian’s Pizza’s mac and cheese pizza)
Other list notables: This food blog also gives props to the Duane Purvis All-American (No. 8), basically a cheeseburger slathered in peanut butter and available to Purdue students. Near the University of Pittsburgh, the Fathead Saloon serves up the South Side Slope (No. 6): a giant kielbasa, fried pierogies, onions, and cheese on a bun with olives. Mulligan’s Tavern near the University of Georgia dishes out the Luther Burger (No. 1). Luther Vandross supposedly engineered this bacon cheeseburger, which is served inside of grilled Krispy Kreme donuts.
Madison drunk-food delight this list ignores: Why not include dishes people can truly only eat when they’re too whacked out to conceive of the horror headed for their mouths? For that, nothing outdoes Burrito Drive’s White Trash burrito, filled with SPAM, tater tots, baked beans, and Velveeta.
3. National Geographic’s Green Cities (2005)
Ranking: Top 10
Why Madison made the list: The main reason Mad Town copped a spot on this prestigious list was our devotion to alternative transportation. We get mad props because 10 percent of our populace commutes on foot, by bicycle, or by bus. We also reap accolades for being at the forefront of curbside recycling, having “excellent” air quality, and a bike-to-car ratio of 3:2.
Similar list placements: Country Home’s Top 25 Greenest Cities, 2008, No. 17 (No. 8 in 2007); Prevention’s Top 100 Walking Cities, 2007, No. 1; Yahoo Real Estate’s Top 10 Outdoor Towns, 2007, No. 4; Outside’s Best Road Biking Towns, 2007, No.1.
Dirty secret: While Madison is certainly bike-friendly town, what a lot of these evaluators don’t know is that since 100 percent of Madison’s roads are under construction 100 percent of the time, cyclists rarely enjoy a smooth ride.
2. Best Life’s 100 Best Places To Raise A Family
Ranking: 8
Why Madison made the list: Our high per-capita pediatrician ratio.
Why that’s weird: Do our kids get sick more?
Similar list placements: Bizjournals’ America’s Smartest Cities (No. 1 in 2008); Forbes’ Best Places to Educate Your Child (No. 2 in 2007); Dog Fancy’s Nine Cities Where Dogs Rule; Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s Top 25 Cities for Empty Nesters; Country Home’s 25 Best Places To Live; Money Magazine’s 100 Best Places To Live
1. Men’s Health’s Best Teeth In America
Ranking: 1
Why we smile so much: That’s right—we’ve got the pearliest whites in the US of A! We have the lowest rate of permanent tooth extractions, 36 percent of us floss on a regular basis, our dental visit frequency is off the charts, and our water’s got more fluoride in it than Crest.
