Tucson is Tops!
#1 Tucson Ranked Best City for Hotels and Spas
Zagat Survey ranked Tucson the number one city for spas and resorts in its Top U.S. Hotels, Resorts and Spas 2001 edition. The guide is based on the ratings and reviews of nearly 20,000 frequent travelers.
#2 Top Hotel for Nature Lovers
Sunset magazine has named Loews Ventana Canyon Resort number 2 in its top 10 hotels for nature lovers. Within minutes of leaving the resort, you can hike into a virtual wilderness area via the easy-to-access Ventana Canyon trail that begins just a short walk away.
#2 Entrepreneurial Hot Spot
Tucson is ranked #2 among mid-size cities according to the National Research Policy Council. The rankings combined data on a region's startups and their growth.
#3 Most Digital City
The most technology-advanced cities in America have been named by The Center for Digital Government based on its 2007 Digital Cities Survey, and Tucson has been ranked #3 in the 250,000 or more population category. The study examined how city governments are utilizing digital technologies to better serve their citizens and streamline operations.
#4 Local Bed and Breakfast
The Royal Elizabeth B&B ranked 4th in a Top 10 survey conducted by BedandBreakfast.com. Business travelers seeking the comforts of home while on the road can enjoy free Wi-Fi, a desk in their guest room, copy and fax services and other amenities at the Royal Elizabeth. Guest surveys speak of the Tucson Bed and Breakfast as "grand and beautiful, with fabulous hospitality and incredible food."
#4 America's Fittest Cities
Men's Fitness Magazine has come out with its 2005 list of "America's Fittest Cities". Tucson came in at #4, moving up from #9 in 2004. Categories used to rank cities included numbers of clubs and gyms; fitness-related activities available; nutritional habits; air quality; and geography.
#5 Best City Lifestyle
Even though there's not a beach nearby, Tucson is making waves when it comes to Top 10 lists for quality of life related issues. In "America's Best Places to Live 2003," MSN's web site rated 331 metropolitan areas in categories including cost of living, crime rate, education, home prices, and weather. Tucson came in 5th, a high honor considering the competition.
#5 Best Place for Outdoor Activities
In "Best Places for Outdoor Activities," MSN placed Tucson 5th in its "Close to the Big Outdoors" survey. MSN cited the city's closeness to outdoor activities, coupled with a balance of quality education, housing, jobs, health, and arts and entertainment.
#7 Hottest Retirement Market
In February 2006, BizJournal ranked Tucson #7 among the hottest urban markets with populations of more than 500,000. The rankings were based upon ratios between seniors and children, senior concentration, social security income, senior growth, and comparisons to total, children, young-adult, and middle-age growth.
#7 Best Cities for Hispanics
For the second year in a row, Tucson placed #7 in the Top Ten Cities for Hispanics to Live In, an annual feature of the national Hispanic Magazine. In creating the list for 2004, the magazine weighed mainstream issues, including jobs, affordable housing and student-to-teacher ratios. It ranked factors within a city's culture, such as the ease of switching languages from Spanish to English as well as the frequency of encountering other Hispanics during everyday life.
#8 Top City For Doing Business
Tucson was ranked 8th in the "Top 25 Cities for doing Business in America" (medium sized cities) in Inc. magazine's March 2004 issue.
#9 Tucson is Heart Healthful for Women
Tucson is listed by the American Heart Association as one of the top 10 "Heart Friendly" cities for women, among midsize metro areas.
#9 Cities Best Suited for Fitness and Walking
Prevention magazine, in conjunction with the American Podiatric Medical Association, ranked Tucson 9th for cities that are best suited for fitness and walking. Criteria include crime, mass transit, air quality, and the number of historic sites, museums, parks and gyms each city has.
#10 Healthy Lifestyle
Cooking Light honored Tucson with 10th place in its search for the cities in America that best support its philosophy to eat smart, be fit, and live well. The following are a few of the criteria that earned Tucson its high ranking: Farmers' markets, access to gourmet ingredients, highly rated restaurants, percentage of residents in good health, and low percentage of overweight residents.
#10 Spring Training Ballparks
Tucson Electric Park (TEP)was chosen as one of the Best Spring Training Ballparks by MSN.com. Coming in at number 10, TEP is the spring training site for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox.
Top Ten City for High-Tech
Fast Company Magazine in its November (2005) edition names Tucson to its Fast Cities list -- 10 U.S. cities that offer the "most potent mix of talent, technology and tolerance."
Top Ten Spas Destinations
Canyon Ranch and Miraval make a top 10 spas list. Allure magazine's February 2007 issue confirms something we already knew: Tucson is a top 10 kind of place. It listed two area resorts — Canyon Ranch and Miraval — among the 10 best spa destinations in the U.S. and Mexico.
Tops Among Public National Universities
U.S. News & World Report ranks The University of Arizona in a tie for 45th among public national universities, according to its latest rankings in America's Best Colleges 2008. The Eller College of Management ranks 12th on the list for undergraduate business programs. The Eller College is also one of only three institutions to maintain top-five status in the Management Information Systems business specialty since the inception of the U.S. News rankings in 1989.
#20 Best Cities for Jobs
Forbes annual ranking of "Best Cities for Jobs" placed Tucson at 20th among 100 cities listed. Criteria included Median Household income, Unemployment, Income Growth, Cost of Living and Job growth.
Home to World Tournament
Marana, just a golf ball's throw from Tucson, will be home to the Accenture Match Play through at least 2010. This event features the top 64 players in the world. The World Golf Championships feature some of the largest purses in professional golf. First prize money is in excess of $1 million.
Most Playful City
Tucson is one of the most playful cities, according to KaBOOM! Tucson is one of the 31 founding members of the Playful City USA initiative, an effort to recognize communities that achieve better public policy, funding and public awareness for increased play opportunities for kids. Tucson was recognized for fulfilling a pledge to five specific commitments to play that have a lasting impact on issues including childhood obesity, public safety, and quality of life. Other Arizona cities to make the list are Chandler, Phoenix, Gilbert, and Yuma.