Here we go again.  We get so many accolades around here, that sometimes it’s tough to keep up with all of  the lists on which Raleigh ranks high.  The latest?  Forbes’ list of America’s Most Innovative Cities.  No, Raleigh didn’t take the top spot on the list, but we did place at No. 3, after San Jose in California’s Silicon Valley, and Austin, Texas. Trailing after us were cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and San Diego.

Forbes likes our mix of academia and industry.  Factors that went into making this list include patents, rate of creative jobs, tech and science jobs, and venture capital investment.  Once again, ranking high on this list comes as no surprise.  Take a look around.  Here in Raleigh, we’re a hub of innovation and creativity.  And it’s great to live in a place like that.

All these lists make it kind of hard for us to be humble.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

You can read the full article here:  http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/24/patents-funding-jobs-technology-innovative-cities.html

We placed in another hot Top 10 list.  This one is not a best-places-to-live list, but a best-places-to-visit list!  Hotwire ranked Raleigh at No. 8 on their new Top 10 Travel Value Index as a best value city for travelers. We’re on the same vacation destination list with Orlando, L.A., and Denver, and actually ranked ahead of Chicago and Miami!  Hotwire says these cities offer the most for your travel dollar in hotels, transportation, and entertainment.  Overall appeal is also considered.  Obviously.

Whew.  So now we’re a vacation hot spot, too.  The difference with Raleigh, though, is not only is it a great place to visit, it’s also a great place to live.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

To see the entire list:  http://www.hotwire.com/destination/travel-value-index2.jsp

Here in Raleigh we’ve gotten used to being named to “best places to live” lists.  Not to brag, but it seems to happen all the time.  We’re always one of the best places to live for one reason or another.  But in the space of a week we’ve added some pretty cool new feathers to our cap.

First a Wall Street Journal report named us to the top ten of their list of “hottest, hippest destinations” for young people looking for a place to live. The report predicts that when the economy recovers, our area will be a “youth magnet,” attracting residents 18-29 because of our relatively low cost of living and highly-educated citizens.  And lots of fresh, ambitious, educated young people moving in can provide a big boost to our cultural scene, our economy, and our labor market.

And speaking of our highly-educated citizens, we landed in the top spot on the list of Smartest American Cities by The Daily Beast website, which the Raleigh News & Observer calls a “major news-and-opinion website.”  Their criteria included the percentage of residents with bachelor’s and graduate degrees, nonfiction book sales, and voter turnout figures.  And so we’re the smartest.  Smarter than the folks in San Francisco, Boston, New York City–well, you get the picture.

Smart and hip.  That’s a great combination.  We knew it all along.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

You can read the full reports here:  http://online.wsj.comarticleSB10001424052748703787204574442912720525316.html

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-04/americas-smartest-cities—from-first-to-worst?cmpid=p_yahoo