Spokane recognized as “City on the Rise”

January 16, 2018 8:26 PM

Brian Neale,

Posted: January 16, 2018 8:26 PM

Updated: May 14, 2021 1:47 PM

by Brian Neale

Spokane recognized as “City on the Rise”

SPOKANE, Wash. — Portland and Seattle might get all the attention for being ultra cool and hip but according to National Geographic, Spokane can hold its own when it comes to small cities.

National Geographic Traveler, the world’s most widely read travel magazine, today unveiled its 29 “Cities on the Rise” based on both a unique set of metrics as well as expert picks from its editors.

To identify the rising small cities, Traveler worked with global destination branding advisors Resonance Consultancy in developing a Small Cities Index, a survey that drew from statistics and social media mentions to determine which cities rank highest in a variety of distinctive, fun categories including green spaces, coffee shops, live music and even Instagrammable moments.

“At Traveler we’re passionate about tales of urban renewal, about communities that have collaborated to improve their main streets, about smart cities that have pursued development policies that produce happiness. In this article, we report on authentic small cities that each embody a surprising superlative,” said George Stone, National Geographic Traveler editor in chief.

Traveler’s 29 Best Small Cities are categorized by 10 key superlatives that influence both residents and visitors alike.

Here are the the 10 categories and related features the index factored in:
— Most Hipster Friendly (coffee shops, tattoo parlors, record shops, vintage stores)
— Musically Grooviest (music venues, live music, instrument stores)
— Most Instagrammed (hashtags)
— Most Artsy (art galleries, art supply stores, art schools)
— Best Groomed (barber shops, hair salons, hair removal services, cosmetic dentists)
— Meatiest (butchers, delis, steakhouses)
— Most Dog Friendly (pet sitting, pet stores, pet groomers, dog friendly restaurants)
— Sudsiest (breweries)
— Most Caffeinated (coffee shops)
— Greenest (parks)

The results in each of these areas were then broken down by population sizes: 40,000-100,000, 100,000-200,000, and 200,000-600,000.

Spokane ranked high for Hipster Friendly and Most Caffeinated.

Here’s the list of the 29 Best Small Cities according to Traveler.

–Albuquerque, New Mexico (Sudsiest)
–Anchorage, Alaska (Trending- Most Caffeinated)
–Ann Arbor, Michigan (Greenest)
–Annapolis, Maryland (Trending- Dog Friendly)
–Asheville, North Carolina (Most Artsy, Sudsiest)
–Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Best Groomed)
–Boulder, Colorado (Hipster Friendly, Musically Grooviest, Most Caffeinated, Sudsiest)
–Charleston, South Carolina (Most Instagrammed, Most Artsy)
–Columbia, South Carolina (Best Groomed, Meatiest)
–Greenville, South Carolina (Meatiest)
–Hagerstown, Maryland (Best Groomed)
–Healdsburg, California (Trending- Greenest)
–Hickory, North Carolina (Hipster Friendly)
–Honolulu, Hawaii (Musically Grooviest, Most Instagrammed, Most Artsy)
–Kansas City, Missouri (Trending- Most Artsy)
–Lakeland, Florida (Most Dog Friendly)
–Louisville, Kentucky (Trending- Meatiest)
–Madison, Wisconsin (Greenest)
–New Orleans, Louisiana (Trending- Hipster Friendly)
–Newport, Rhode Island (Trending- Best Groomed)
–Olympia, Washington (Most Caffeinated, Greenest)
–Omaha, Nebraska (Trending- Musically Grooviest)
–Pensacola, Florida (Most Dog Friendly)
–Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Trending- Sudsiest)
–Portland, Maine (Most Instagrammed)
–Rapid City, South Dakota (Trending- Most Instagrammed)
–Reno, Nevada (Meatiest, Most Dog Friendly)
–Santa Cruz, California (Musically Grooviest)