Academic

Portland may not be a "manly" city, but I'd rather live here than the "manly" cities

By Tung Yin

According to some ridiculous listing by the Mars chocolate company, Portland is the least "manly" major city in the country (at #50 out of 50).  The survey methodology uses "manly criteria like the number of home improvement stores, steak houses, pickup trucks and motorcycles per capita."

Steak houses?  No wonder the top of the list is loaded up with places in the Midwest.  I think I've eaten steak just twice since we moved out here -- too much other good seafood, sushi, etc. to bother with steak.

And pickup trucks?  I already feel kind of guilty whenever I'm driving our minivan around, seeing as every other car is a Toyota Prius.  Seriously.

Anyway, Portland may not be "manly."  But I like the company we're in, as far as cities go -- the other bottom ten include San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.  (Seattle somehow ranked #30, though last year it was #40.)  I guess the surveyors just don't like the West Coast.

Full post as published by The Yin Blog on June 25, 2010 (boomark / email).