How exactly is one "hip"? Is it a rogue-ish fashion sense that allows you to pull off a beret in any setting? The ability to grow ironic facial hair in seconds? A devil-may-care aura that makes you look like you've traveled back in time just to save Sarah Connor? With the release of a list of America's Hippest Cities by Forbes, finally, the world has an answer.
This year's defining criteria: Jobs.
Houston, Texas might not be what most people picture when "hip-ness" is concerned, but the city's knack for job creation ranks it at number one on this year's list. Its local economy has kept buzzing through the recession. Just last year Houston grew jobs by 2.6%, with nearly 50,000 Americans flocking there in response -- especially young professionals. The median age of a Houston resident is 33.
Over the past decade, the oppressively corporate cityscape has been quietly transforming. Stylish new housing developments have moved in downtown, restaurants have taken up residence in former factories and art galleries like the Station Museum have been inhabiting warehouses.
Combine that with a strong theater scene, world-class museums and a multicultural, zoning-free mash-up of a streetscape and you have the recipe for the No. 1 spot on Forbes' list of America's Coolest Cities To Live.
We're publishing the top 10 here. You can find the rest of the top 20 at Forbes:
Houston is joined in the top 20 by four other Texas metro areas: Dallas ranked fourth; San Antonio, 11th; Fort Worth, 13th; and Austin, 19th. They all boast strong economies, large young adult populations and relatively high levels of cultural diversity.
Forbes' methodology:
"We attempted to quantify 'coolness' for the 65 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Metropolitan Divisions (areas that include cities and their surrounding suburbs as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget) based on seven data points we weighted evenly. Sperling's Best Places helped us calculate the number of entertainment options per capita with an Arts & Culture Index (100 is the best score); recreational opportunities, including the amount of green space, quality of outdoor activities available, and the number of pro and college sports teams (again, (100 is the best score); and number of restaurants and bars per capita, with a focus on local eateries. We also looked at each city's cultural composition using Sperling's Diversity Index (100 is the best). We included median age, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, favoring places with a large young adult population. Lastly, we looked at net migration for 2011 and unemployment rates, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Moody's Analytics."
10. New York, NY
Metro Division: New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ
Arts & Culture Index: 100
Recreation Index: 100
Diversity Index: 79.6
Number of Local Eats: 26,040
Median Age: 37
Unemployment: 9.2%
2011 Net Migration: -11,900 people
9. San Francisco, CA
Metro Division: San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA
Arts & Culture Index: 98
Recreation Index: 99
Diversity Index: 73.1
Number of Local Eats: 5,650
Median Age: 41
Unemployment: 7%
2011 Net Migration: 6,810 people
8. Orange County, CA
Metro Division: Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA
Arts & Culture Index: 87
Recreation Index: 98
Diversity Index: 75.7
Number of Local Eats: 5,735
Median Age: 36
Unemployment: 7.5%
2011 Net Migration: 13,910 people
7. Boston, MA
Metro Division: Boston-Quincy, MA
Arts & Culture Index: 100
Recreation Index: 99
Diversity Index: 54.3
Number of Local Eats: 3,862
Median Age: 38
Unemployment: 5.3%
2011 Net Migration: 3,660 people
6. San Diego, CA
M.S.A.: San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
Arts & Culture Index: 92
Recreation Index: 96
Diversity Index: 74
Number of Local Eats: 6,111
Median Age: 35
Unemployment: 8.8%
2011 Net Migration: 10,850 people
5. Seattle, WA
M.S.A.: Seattle-Bellevue-Everett WA
Arts & Culture Index: 96
Recreation Index: 99
Diversity Index: 55.1
Number of Local Eats: 6,101
Median Age: 37
Unemployment: 7.1%
2011 Net Migration: 22,380 people
4. Dallas, TX
Metro Division: Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX
Arts & Culture Index: 95
Recreation Index: 86
Diversity Index: 73.7
Number of Local Eats: 7,689
Median Age: 33.5
Unemployment: 6.9%
2011 Net Migration: 45,870 people
3. Los Angeles, CA
Metro Division: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA
Arts & Culture Index: 99
Recreation Index: 100
Diversity Index: 82.5
Number of Local Eats: 19,921
Median Age: 35
Unemployment: 11.1%
2011 Net Migration: 10,050 people
2. Washington, D.C.
Metro Division: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Arts & Culture Index: 99
Recreation Index: 93
Diversity Index: 70.9
Number of Local Eats: 6,149
Median Age: 36
Unemployment: 5.4%
2011 Net Migration: 34,260 people
1. Houston, TX
M.S.A.: Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
Arts & Culture Index: 91
Recreation Index: 94
Diversity Index: 77.1
Number of Local Eats: 11,196
Median Age: 33
Unemployment: 6.9%
2011 Net Migration: 49,820 people