Do you think Bethesda is a cool place to live?
If you answered yes, Forbes agrees with you. The magazine ranked Bethesda and its surrounding environs as the 17th coolest metropolitan area in the country in a recent ranking.
So, how to determine what's cool and what's not?
Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Forbes used criteria including entertainment options per capita (using Sperling’s Best Places for help), recreational opportunities and green space, number of pro and college sports teams, cultural diversity, net migration, unemployment rates and median age.
The ranking favored diverse cities with lots of recreation opportunities, a large young adult population and a high number of people who relocated there in 2011, according to the article.
Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The ranking also tallied the number of bars and restaurants, favoring cities with a variety of local eateries over those with lots of chain restaurants.
Bethesda ranked just below Oakland, CA, at No. 16, and just above Minneapolis at No. 18.
Houston ranked in the top spot, with our major metropolitan neighbor Washington, DC, following close behind at No. 2. Nearby Baltimore ranked at No. 14.
Do you think Bethesda is a cool place to live? Tell us why or why not in the comments.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
