Boston is Second Best for Singletons

Boston newsstands are currently battling the “Best of” as the Improper Bostonian and Boston Magazine are ranking everything, from “Best Place to Find a Relationship of Limited Duration” (Vox Populi, of course) to “Best Yoga Teacher” (David Vendetti at Back Bay Yoga). Well, Boston's singles scene has been rated too in a Forbes Magazine poll released on Monday. In 2004, Boston ranked 5th in the “Best City for Singles” but this year, we've moved up to the second spot. Bostonist is honored that our fair city is thought of so highly in terms of singles, but being a single, Bostonist must ask itself: how do we rank so high? Well, Forbes uses a rating system, ranking each city on a few factors, including coolness (4th place), culture (1st place), and job growth (a pitiful 31st place). It does help that oodles of college students flock into town each fall, adding more to the singles population as well as vamping up the bar scene (who do you think waits in line at the Foggy Goggle?)

One pollster did have this say about Boston’s singles scene: “Getting to know people in Boston is a little challenging. You've got to break through that crusty exterior, that kind of clannishness that has descended from the Irish ancestors here.” (Bostonist has never considered the effect of our Irish ancestors on the current dating scene around town. We'll have to look into this further, of course.)

The -ist family did not do too poorly, with San Fran, D.C., L.A., N.Y.C., Chicago, and Seattle all in the top 10 Best Cities for Singles. How will Boston move into the coveted number one spot in 2006? One factor that helps Denver-Boulder, who has been holding the number one ranking for 2004-05, is their low cost of living (3rd place). You mean they don’t have to spend all their paycheck on rent and overpriced beers? Bostonist had lots of fun using Forbes’ “Find Your Perfect Metro Area” quiz. According to Bostonist’s quiz results, San Francisco is the city of our dreams.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.com/user bwats2