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LIVING & TRAVEL

Sheryl Nance-Nash
interviewed by Emma Taylor on October 5, 1995

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"Three or four years from now, Rochester might be very chi-chi."

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Sheryl Nance-Nash is one of the editors who worked on the Money Magazine Cities Survey.

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Tripod: Money Magazine publishes this survey every year. What was the most dramatic change in the results this year?

SNN: Well, I think the biggest difference this year was the strength of Florida. They had five cities in the top ten.

Tripod: What caused that?

SNN:Number one, their economy is doing quite well, they have had strong recent job growth and as well they are getting a broad mix of employment. For example, Jacksonville is becoming somewhat of a regional financial center. They've got insurance companies and banks there. Then when you look at Ocala, they make everything from computer chips to potato chips there. So there are all different kinds of new industry there now, and that's attracting more young people. It's interesting, because people tend to think of Florida more as a retirement center. In addition, Florida is very affordable. The cost of living is generally below the national average, and housing is very affordable. Also in Florida they don't have state income tax. That's a big attraction for people who live in states with high income tax, such as California or New York. There's a lot of reasons to go to Florida now.

Tripod: You've just listed changes in the state of Florida. What about changes in the criteria that are important to people when choosing a place to live?

SNN: Well, it was interesting that last year crime was the number-one concern of people, and that moved back to number three this year. People are again more concerned with clean air and clean water.

Tripod: I was surprised that clean air and clean water are so much more important to people than crime levels, or the standard of education.

SNN: Right. I guess people are really just concerned about the environment.

Tripod: Is that why big cities fare so poorly in this survey? New York only comes in at 141.

SNN: Perhaps. The survey is geared towards what people say is most important, so for instance it's hard to score very well if you don't score well in those characteristics that are important in a given year. This year, in addition to clean water and clean air, also important were good schools, recession, inflation and lack of earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes.

Tripod: The median age of those you polled is 49 -- isn't this an age group that is almost ready to think about a peaceful retirement? How does that affect the results?

SNN: Well, you do have to look at who we are talking and the income level of these people, which averages about $60,000.

Tripod: So, based on the research you have done, which cities would rate more highly with recent college grads?

SNN: That's a difficult question. It's interesting that if you look at the top ten list we came up with, young people would be interested in most of those cities, Seattle especially, and Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale. Really, the places that score very well would appeal to a broad selection of people, including college-age people.

Tripod: When I used Money Magazine's web site to look up top cities for recent grads, I was very surprised to find New York down at 11, Boston at only 5, both below Danbury, CT. What do you think about that, as a New Yorker?

SNN: I can understand, because the city has always been one of the most exciting places in the world, but at the same time you have to look at things like crime and the cost of living -- it's very expensive to live in the New York area, particularly if you're just coming out of college, just beginning your career. It is fun, and that's why people come here and have about five roommates. But you can be very poor. I came here shortly after college, and I was very very poor -- not that I'm rich now!

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"People decide what's most important for them -- if you go somewhere to advance your career, or somewhere for a low-key lifestyle"

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Tripod: Why is it that most of America's most populated cities rate so poorly? Even taking into account all the young people who live in the cities, according to this survey there must be a lot of unhappy people in America.

SNN: Well it does seem to be the trend that the cities that score well are the smaller to mid-sized cities. People might come to a place like New York for career purposes. It's all about trade offs. People decide what's most important for them -- if you go somewhere to advance your career, or somewhere for a low-key lifestyle.

Tripod: What effect do you think the media have on the criteria people consider important? The decision between clean air and crime levels, for example.

SNN: It's an interesting question, trying to decide what changes people's preferences from year to year. I do recall a couple of years ago, there was a horrible horrible winter all across the country, and then when we did our survey, sunny weather had a new importance in choosing a place to live. It depends on what's going on -- in fact, it's a very good gauge of what's going on. When you think that last year crime was number one, it was really a reflection of how people felt.

Tripod: Rochester, Minnesota was number two on the list. Again, not a city America is famous for.

SNN: I went there in 1994, and Rochester always does very well, they've got a lot of things going for them. They seem to have a recession-proof economy there, despite the fact that their biggest employers are the Mayo Clinic and IBM, and that both those institutions have had recent lay-offs or are down sizing, they were still able to keep their economy going. It's an interesting example of how government and business can come together and really make a difference. It seems like they had a lot of persistence there, to help people who had been laid off to start new businesses and a lot of these businesses are now doing well. It's not one of the most exciting places in the world, but it's probably a very nice place to raise a family .... But it seems like even Rochester is trying to get more cosmopolitan, they've got a couple of coffee houses there now, it's a little more diverse. Three or four years from now Rochester might be very chi-chi. Who knows?

Tripod: Do you have any predictions for up-and-coming "hot cities"?

SNN: Well, it's hard to say, because cities tend to come and go in cycles, Seattle is a perfect example. It's been up and down a lot, but it's a good place to live right now.

Tripod: Do you ever see yourself moving away from New York?

SNN: I wish I could!

To find your own hot city using Money Magazine's web site, check out http://www.pathfinder.com/@@wF3BZRGEdgMAQC46/money/best-cities/9cities-opener.html