DOWNTOWN —Exciting suburb. Sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it?
Well it isn't, according to real estate blog Movoto.com, which named Santa Monica the fifth most exciting suburb in America.
Suburbs traditionally are places married couples go to raise a family in relative peace and quiet. But Santa Monica is anything but quiet, what with its bustling shopping districts and world-famous pier.
The city by the sea placed second overall for active options, including the pier, its adjoining beach and thrilling activities like the Trapeze School New York, according to Movoto, which crunched data from 139 suburbs to come up with its list.
The blog looked at the number of bars and clubs, as well as live music venues, parks and outdoor activities and fast food restaurants (the fewer the better) per resident.
This was accomplished by looking at business listings for each city and U.S Census data — "not, unfortunately, dining and dancing the night away in person."
"Once we'd done that, we averaged the individual criterion scores to produce an overall Big Deal Score, which was used to determine the final ranking (the lower the score the better in this case, too)," said Randy Nelson, the blog's content editor.
Cambridge, Mass. topped the list, followed by Quincey, Mass.; Berkeley, Calif.; Miami Beach, Fla. (how's that a suburb?); and then Santa Monica.
"Part of the mega-sprawl that is Los Angeles County, Santa Monica is pretty much the quintessential SoCal beach community, and its excitement can be felt by anyone who's ever stepped foot on the Santa Monica Pier or the Third Street Promenade," the blog says.
"For as much fun in the sun as it has to offer, Santa Monica continues to shine after the sun has set. The city came in third overall for nightlife and live music, bolstered by places including The Room and Harvelle's."
To check out the list, visit www.movoto.com.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
