Milwaukee ranks

The new edition of "America's Top-Rated Cities: A Statistical Handbook, 2002" is now available and Milwaukee is once again ranked. Published by Grey House Publishing in Millerton, New York, the "Handbook" uses hundreds of sources to develop a list of "top" cities. Each city profile incorporates information from magazine rankings, federal, state and local stats, newspaper and magazine reports and other data.

The book selected 25 top cities in four regions (Southern, Western, Central and Eastern) and Milwaukee made the list in the Central region.

Even though this list does not prioritize its rankings, Milwaukee's appearance is another indication that the city is making a bigger and brighter impact on the national scene.

The buzz around Milwaukee, its rebirth and quality of life is building. To prove it, we researched some of the many recent rankings for Milwaukee.

• Milwaukee was ranked #42 out of 354 metro areas in Places Rated Almanac. Criteria: cost of living; climate; crime; transportation; job outlook; education; the arts; health care; and recreation. Places Rated Almanac, Millennium Edition, 2000

• Ladies Home Journal ranked America's 200 largest cities based on qualities women surveyed care about most. Milwaukee ranked #72 out of 200. Criteria: crime; lifestyle; education; jobs; health; child care; politics; and the economy. Ladies Home Journal Online, "The Best Cities For Women 2001"

• Time Magazine in its Dec. 14, 2001 issue, named the MAM expansion the #1 Design of the year. Time, Dec. 14, 2001.

• Milwaukee is the best place in the country to live if you're a lesbian, according to Girlfriends magazine. It's better than Seattle, better than San Francisco, even better than Miami Beach. Girlfriends Magazine, Oct., 2001

• Forbes ranked the 40 most populous metro areas in the U.S. in terms of the best places to be single. The Milwaukee metro area was ranked #24. Criteria: number of single people; number of night clubs, bars and restaurants; number of museums, sports teams and live theaters; university population; job growth; cost of living and Forbes "buzz" factor, public perception) Forbes May 8, 2001

• Natural Health ranked the 50 largest urban areas, according to 37 criteria, in terms of "America's Healthiest Cities." The Milwaukee metro area ranked #16. Criteria: amenities; physical health; environment and happiness. Natural Health, April 2001

• Milwaukee was ranked America's Top Underrated City by Utne Reader. They say Milwaukee is "a classic rust belt city that's made a fresh start." Utne Reader, Feb. 2001

• Milwaukee was ranked #33 out of 100 cities surveyed in Child magazine's ranking of the "Best Cities for Families." Criteria: number of pediatricians per capita; proximity to a children's hospital; immunization rates; infant mortality rate; air quality; water quality; school spending; pupil-teacher ratio; availability of parks/green space; nearby recreational opportunities; average commute time; number of sunny days; average cost of a 3-bedroom home; unemployment rate; future job growth; crime rate; percentage of children under 5; mandated minimum child care rations. Child, April 2001

• Zero Population Growth ranked 239 cities in terms of child health, safety, and economic well-being. Milwaukee was ranked #61 out of 140 independent cities (cities with populations greater than 100,000, which were neither major cites nor suburbs/outer cities) and was given a grade of B. Criteria: total population and population growth; percent of population under 18 years of age; number of children's museums; health improvement grade; percent of births to teens; percent of low birthweight births; infant mortality rate; number of Title X-funded clinics; average SAT/ACT scores; average elementary and secondary class size; crime rate; unemployment rate; percent of affordable homes; number of bad air days; park acres per 1000 persons; library circulation per child; and children's program attendance counts. Zero Population Growth, Kid Friendly Cities Report Card 2001

• The Milwaukee metro area was selected by Yahoo! Internet Life as one of "America's Most Wired Cities ... and Towns." The area ranked #61 out of 87. Criteria: home and work net use; user sophistication; domain density; and available content. Yahoo! Internet Life, April 2001

• Scarborough Research measured the number of Cyber Shoppers (those who have Internet access at home or at work and have purchased goods or services online) among adults in 64 leading U.S. markets. The Milwaukee DMA (Designated Market Area) was ranked #53 out of 64. Scarborough Research, 2000 Scarborough Report Release 1

• The Sporting News ranked over 300 U.S. and Canadian metro areas in terms of their sports' climate. Milwaukee ranked #26 out of 322. Criteria included: championships; playoff berths; regular season records; applicable power ratings; fan fervor and knowledgeability; number of teams; stadium quality, accessibility and ambience; ticket availability; and marquee appeal of athletes. The Sporting News Online, "Best Sports Cities 2001"

• Milwaukee's Harley-Davidson Motor Company was named Company of the Year by Forbes Magazine, one the world’s leading business publications. The honor and accompanying article entitled "Love Into Money" appeared in the Jan. 7, 2002 edition of Forbes

• A study by Syracuse University graded the municipal governments of the nation's 35 largest cities in terms of revenues, from A to F, on five management criteria: finances; human resources; capital; information technology; and results. Milwaukee received an overall grade of B. Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs' Government Performance Project, January 2000

• The Milwaukee area is one of the safest urban areas to drive in the country, according to the 2001 report from The Road Information Program (TRIP), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research organization. According to the TRIP report released Dec., 2001, "Getting Home Safely: Strategies to Make our Communities Safer for Motorists, Pedestrians and Bicyclists," the Milwaukee area ranked 47th out of 50 metro areas in the number of fatalities per 100,000 residents. TRIP's report is based on the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. TRIP, December 2001.

• Milwaukee was selected as one of America's best-mannered cities. The area ranked in the top 10 at #3. The list is based on thousands of letters and faxes received by etiquette expert Marjabelle Young Stewart. Commonsense Etiquette: A guide to Gracious, Simple Manners for the Twenty-First Century, November 25, 2000

• The Milwaukee metro area was selected as one of the "Top 40 Real Estate Markets for expanding or relocating businesses." The area ranked #29 out of 40 metro areas. Criteria: rental costs; purchase prices; and vacancy rates of office and warehouse space. Expansion Management, August 2001

• The Milwaukee metro area appeared on Forbes/Milken Institute list of "Best Places for Business and Career." Rank : #143 out of 200 metro areas. Criteria: salary growth; job growth; number of technology clusters; overall concentration of technology activity relative to national average; and technology output growth. www.forbes.com, Forbes/Milken Institute Best Places 2001

• The Milwaukee metro area appeared on Entrepreneur magazine's list of the "Best Cities for Entrepreneurship." The area ranked #52 out of 61 in the large city category. Criteria: entrepreneurial activity; small business growth; economic growth; and risk. Entrepreneur, October 2001

• The Milwaukee metro area appeared on Inc. magazine's list of the "Best 50 Large Metro Areas to Start and Grow a Company." The area ranked #20. Criteria: Significant Starts (firms started in the last 10 years that still employ at least 5 people) and Young Growers firms 10 years old or less that grew significantly during the last 4 years). Inc. December 2001

• The Milwaukee metro area appeared on IndustryWeek's fourth annual World-Class Communities list. It ranked #37 out of 315 metro areas. Criteria: MSA Gross Metropolitan Product (GMP) per manufacturing employee; and MSA percent share of US manufacturing Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IndustryWeek, April 2001

• ING Group ranked the 125 largest metro areas according to general financial security of residents. The Milwaukee metro area was ranked #38 out of 125. Criteria: Earnings and Wealth Potential (household income, education, net assets, cost of living); Safety Net (health insurance, retirement savings, life insurance, income support programs); Personal Threats (unemployment rate, low-income households, crime rate); Community Economic Vitality (cost of community services, job quality, job creation, housing costs). ING Group, "The Best Cities to Earn and Save Money: A Ranking of the Largest 125 US Cities," 2001 Edition

• Rebecca Ryan's company Next Generation Consulting analyzed 43 variables that matter to Generation X (born 1961-'81), everything from farmer's markets to commute times to number of musicians in the community. The methodology for determining the coolest communities used a weighted index including the Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For; Computerworld's 100 Best Companies in IT; and Fast Company's Fast Companies. The survey, released Labor Day, 2001 was called "Hot Jobs/Cool Communities." It ranked Milwaukee #10. "Hot Jobs-Cool Communities" is the first survey to place equal value on both facets of a work-life experience.