America's 20 best cities

20. Columbus, Ohio

Population: 796,520

Columbus excels in education as the home of Ohio State University, which keeps life flowing through the state's largest city and its capital. That helps support historic neighborhoods such as German Village, whose Schiller Park recently celebrated its bicentennial and hosted a speech by President Barack Obama. Columbus can also take pride in its zoo, well-known for its longtime director emeritus, Jack Hanna.

Bars: 249
Restaurants: 1,656
Museums: 13
Libraries: 27
Pro sports teams: 2
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 14.7
Colleges: 8
Population with graduate degree: 7.8
Median household income: $54,763
Unemployment: 6.5%

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19. Honolulu

Population: 399,124

Honolulu, the gateway to Hawaii, may rank behind Lincoln, Neb., for best air quality, but it has a pretty healthy lead in shoreline property. Residents of this Pacific melting pot have one of the highest median household incomes on this list. When tourists swarming Waikiki Beach get to be too much, locals can easily drive across their island to Oahu's North Shore, a surfer's paradise. In town, Honolulu houses one of the nation's great cultural collections, the Bishop Museum.

Bars: 105
Restaurants: 1,296
Museums: 31
Libraries: 38
Pro sports teams: 0
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 7 (countywide)
Colleges: 10
Population with graduate degree: 8.9%
Median household income: $78,233
Unemployment: 6.4%

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18. Raleigh, N.C.

Population: 405,462

Raleigh wins the Carolinas, with strong median household income, low crime and five universities. As one-third of the Research Triangle region, Raleigh is just minutes from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Duke University. The city features a major historical tradition with such properties as the Mordecai House and Tucker House. Residents who aren't so interested in uninhabited old houses — especially younger residents — might prefer the sights at BugFest, the event at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Bars: 93
Restaurants: 1,007
Museums: 15
Libraries: 17
Pro sports teams: 1
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 31
Colleges: 5
Population with graduate degree: 11.4%
Median household income: $76,255
Unemployment: 7.8%

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17. Madison, Wis.

Population: 231,999

Home to the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin system, Madison had the second-strongest combination of low unemployment and high median household income of any city on this list. Madison has 13 beaches on its local lakes. About 90 minutes' drive from Milwaukee, the city also boasts one of the lowest crime rates among major cities.

Bars: 86
Restaurants: 595
Museums: 12
Libraries: 33
Pro sports teams: 0
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 22
Colleges: 2
Population with graduate degree: 15.6%
Median household income: $78,187
Unemployment: 5.4%

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16. Atlanta

Population: 410,606

Atlanta's combination of entertainment, cuisine and parks rates second-best on our list. So why does "Hotlanta" rank only 16th overall? Air quality and unemployment are areas of concern, but Atlanta's crime problem — second-worst on this list — keeps it from soaring. The city has greatly increased its park space in recent years. Residents can also pay homage to arguably their city's greatest invention: The World of Coca-Cola park has educated soda pop enthusiasts for five years at its Pemberton Place location.

Bars: 146
Restaurants: 1,566
Museums: 37
Libraries: 37
Pro sports teams: 5
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 7
Colleges: 12
Population with graduate degree: 12.7%
Median household income: $59,345
Unemployment: 10.2%

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15. Kansas City, Mo.

Population: 458,064

Were it not for its high crime rate, Missouri's largest city might rank even higher. Residents working in the city's downtown area are watched over by the iconic Kansas City Power & Light Building, while shoppers can get lost in local shopping centers such as Country Club Plaza and the Legends at Village West. For a blend of technology, arts and history, residents can always stop by the city's old transportation hub, Union Station.

Bars: 113
Restaurants: 921
Museums: 28
Libraries: 19
Pro sports teams: 3
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 36
Colleges: 15
Population with graduate degree: 7.3%
Median household income: $59,980
Unemployment: 6.9%

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14. New Orleans

Population: 349,773

New Orleans is legendary for its good times and is now also known for its resilient response to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. Less obvious strengths, however, abound in the quality of its air and its universities, anchored by Tulane University. Low median household incomes and a high rate of crime keep the Big Easy out of the top 10, but they can't take away the French Quarter's iconic charms — from its genteel beignets to the sloppy, bead-bedecked revels of Bourbon Street.

Bars: 284
Restaurants: 986
Museums: 34
Libraries: 20
Pro sports teams: 2
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 84
Colleges: 10
Population with graduate degree: 8.5%
Median household income: $48,789
Unemployment: 10.6%

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13. Nashville, Tenn.

Population: 603,394

Nashville makes it to 13th place in part due to its nearly 1,500 restaurants and to Vanderbilt University, but that's not what defines the pulse of the Music City. Home to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Nashville has attracted or raised a numbingly long list of America's top musicians, from country greats such as Johnny Cash to modern acts such as Kesha. For Nashville residents, finding some of America's next best music can be as simple as strolling over to Music Row, where new venues blend with nearby classics, such as the Station Inn.

Bars: 138
Restaurants: 1,493
Museums: 30
Libraries: 35
Pro sports teams: 3
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 18
Colleges: 13
Population with graduate degree: 8.3%
Median household income: $59,270
Unemployment: 7.3%

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12. Minneapolis

Population: 388,229

Known as the City of Lakes, Minneapolis has some the nation's best parks and bodies of water. Add in the cold, and you get the local University of Minnesota's combined 11 ice-hockey national championships. Downtown Minneapolis beats the cold with a unique network of connected buildings, with the City Center mall at its core.

Bars: 97
Restaurants: 969
Museums: 21
Libraries: 25
Pro sports teams: 4
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 13
Colleges: 8
Population with graduate degree: 12.5%
Median household income: $64,095
Unemployment: 5.7%

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11. Pittsburgh

Population: 308,090

Pittsburgh just misses the top 10. It has strong leisure offerings and major universities in the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon. The city is limited by its industrial legacy, with crime and air quality as areas needing improvement. Pittsburgh natives are fiercely proud of their town and their pro sports teams, such as the Penguins and Steelers. Also of note: the Andy Warhol Museum, displaying thousands of works by the legendary pop artist and Pittsburgh native.

Bars: 143
Restaurants: 992
Museums: 23
Libraries: 36
Pro sports teams: 3
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 10
Colleges: 10
Population with graduate degree: 12.7%
Median household income: $51,907
Unemployment: 7%

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10. St. Paul, Minn.

Population: 288,263

St. Paul may be the smaller of the Twin Cities, but the state capital is also cleaner and safer, if slightly behind Minneapolis in median household income. St. Paul, which houses parts of the University of Minnesota campus, is known for its examples of Victorian architecture, such as the Alexander Ramsey House, and for its distinctive Cathedral of Saint Paul.

Bars: 51
Restaurants: 515
Museums: 19
Libraries: 26
Pro sports teams: 3
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 14
Colleges: 9
Population with graduate degree: 10.9%
Median household income: $60,987
Unemployment: 6.3%

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9. San Diego

Population: 1.32 million

If weather were the leading data point in these rankings, San Diego might be No. 1. As it is, the city comes in with a strong ninth-place finish thanks to its relative safety, gorgeous beaches and 16 colleges. For San Diego residents, picking which beach can be the hard part. Coronado lies just to the south, La Jolla to the north, with Mission Beach in between.

Bars: 189
Restaurants: 3,126
Museums: 53
Libraries: 52
Pro sports teams: 2
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 36
Colleges: 16
Population with graduate degree: 10.9%
Median household income: $79,269
Unemployment: 9.2%

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8. Austin, Texas

Population: 797,215

The capital of the Lone Star State, Austin is our largest city without a major professional sports team, but don't feel sorry — its main college attraction, the University of Texas Longhorns football team, can draw more than 100,000 spectators to games. With computer company Dell just north of town, Austin has become a major destination for top tech talent, as well. It hosts the annual tech and music festival South by Southwest, which added a Startup Village for investing and schmoozing last year. There's also the annual outdoor Austin City Limits music festival, which lures acts from around the globe each fall.

Bars: 212
Restaurants: 2,135
Museums: 25
Libraries: 35
Pro sports teams: 0
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 37
Colleges: 9
Population with graduate degree: 11%
Median household income: $65,886
Unemployment: 6.3%

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7. New York

Population: 8.11 million

The nation's biggest and most international city, New York blows all other cities out of the water with its more than 1,200 bars, 22,000 restaurants, more than 350 museums and almost as many libraries. World-famous universities such as Columbia University and New York University dominate their respective neighborhoods. With Wall Street, Broadway and the home of America's advertising and fashion centers, be careful telling New Yorkers their city shouldn't sit atop the list.

Bars: 1,220
Restaurants: 22,320
Museums: 356
Libraries: 341
Pro sports teams: 8
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 5
Colleges: 103
Population with graduate degree: 9.6%
Median household income: $58,608
Unemployment: 11%

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6. Denver

Population: 597,466

The Mile High City has evolved into a major night-life and dining hub, with more than 200 bars and 1,700 restaurants to offer up its craft beers and mixture of Southwestern and Rocky Mountain cuisine. The bars near Coors Field are packed while the weather's warm, and when it gets cold, residents are only short drives from some of the nation's best skiing. There is also exotic food, with such game haunts as the Buckhorn Exchange offering local takes on yak, rattlesnake and, of course, Rocky Mountain oysters (look it up).

Bars: 207
Restaurants: 1,741
Museums: 33
Libraries: 39
Pro sports teams: 6
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 10
Colleges: 13
Population with graduate degree: 10.9%
Median household income: $59,155
Unemployment: 8.9%

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5. Portland, Ore.

Population: 598,205

Portland is known for its Pacific Northwestern brand of laid-back living, with education and restaurant offerings to go with air quality you won't find on the East Coast. The city's become beloved by America's hipsters, do-it-yourselfers and localist foodies. The constant turnover of such creative types adds up to a busy, if offbeat, arts and music scene. Another popular recent arrival is the city's major league soccer team, the Portland Timbers, which regularly sells out its games.

Bars: 313
Restaurants: 2,084
Museums: 20
Libraries: 23
Pro sports teams: 2
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 25
Colleges: 16
Population with graduate degree: 11.8%
Median household income: $65,554
Unemployment: 7.9%

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4. Boston

Population: 615,462

Boston isn't always one of the nation's safest towns. But few cities can match Beantown's blend of history, night life and education. With 22 universities, Boston can seem very much a college town, owning a grimy charm. As New England's cultural center, Boston combines Gilded Age class with some Atlantic brine, from L'Espalier to B&G Oysters.

Bars: 136
Restaurants: 2,064
Museums: 51
Libraries: 54
Pro sports teams: 3
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 8
Colleges: 22
Population with graduate degree: 13.8%
Median household income: $62,180
Unemployment: 6.6%

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3. Washington, D.C.

Population: 607,731

The District of Columbia has been known for political dysfunction, but when it comes to leisure it has become the nation's leader. The nation's capital has an expansive series of parks to go with its lively districts, such as Logan Circle and Foggy Bottom. D.C. rivals Boston for its depth and quality of schools. Staying busy: Residents can shop in Georgetown or check out such cultural centers as the Smithsonian museums and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Bars: 134
Restaurants: 2,066
Museums: 108
Libraries: 88
Pro sports teams: 5
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 12
Colleges: 17
Population with graduate degree: 19.6%
Median household income: $72,110
Unemployment: 9.1%

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2. Seattle

Population: 624,070

For our runner-up best city, we turn back to the Northwest to the nation's spiritual home for coffee and personal computing: Seattle. Residents will take the city's famously prodigious rainfall in exchange for their high average median income, beautiful water-bound locale and standout clean air. Microsoft and Boeing provide tens of thousands of jobs to the area, for those who can't toss fish at the Pike Place Market.

Bars: 219
Restaurants: 2,307
Museums: 29
Libraries: 42
Pro sports teams: 4
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 9
Colleges: 8
Population with graduate degree: 16.8%
Median household income: $90,303
Unemployment: 7.2%

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1. San Francisco

Population: 808,854

The City by the Bay, this year's winner, provides residents with the best blend of entertainment, education, safety, clear air and a prosperous economic base. As the heart of the Bay Area, San Francisco draws on the prosperity of Silicon Valley and possesses its own diverse history well-represented at cultural centers such as the de Young Museum. Residents care fiercely about their cafés and causes; night life flourishes in the Mission and the Castro, while tech companies code away in SoMa.

Bars: 394
Restaurants: 3,430
Museums: 70
Libraries: 52
Pro sports teams: 2
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 7
Colleges: 17
Population with graduate degree: 16%
Median household income: $90,640
Unemployment: 7.8%

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