Bethesda, once just a wealthy Washington suburb along Wisconsin Avenue, now is winning national recognition on its own merits.
1. Portland, Maine
2. Bethesda
3. Des Moines, Iowa
4. Bridgeport/Stamford, Conn.
5. Tulsa, Okla.
Forbes magazine this month named Bethesda the country’s second-most livable city, behind Portland, Maine.
“In terms of job opportunities, culture and safety, it’s really hard to beat,” said Forbes reporter Zach O’Malley Greenburg.
To compile the list, Forbes looked at 379 metropolitan areas with populations of at least 500,000, according to the Census Bureau. It ranked each in five categories: income growth, cost of living, culture index, crime rate and unemployment rate.
Despite being among the 15 most expensive, Bethesda beat out all other metropolitan areas except Portland.
Back in January, Forbes gave Bethesda another rave review, naming the area the country’s best-educated small town.
More than half of Bethesda’s residents over the age of 25 have a master’s or doctorate degree, for the highest rate in the country.
The report pointed to an array of high-profile employers such as the National Institutes of Health, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Lockheed Martin that draw intellectual high-fliers to the area.
A well-educated population has far-reaching effects on a town’s quality of life.
People with graduate degrees earn $59,000 to $79,000 a year more those with only a high school education, the Forbes report notes. Their big incomes boost property values and increase tax revenues needed to fund good schools and keep neighborhoods safe.
Bethesda’s average household income is $99,102, according to the Census Bureau, and its median house price is $396,400.
More disposable income also means more demand for restaurants, bookstores and clothing stores — which in turn encourages visitors to spend money there.
Downtown Bethesda has 200 restaurants, or one for every 280 residents. The area also was named the best place in the country to play tennis by CNN Money.
Bethesda has consistently ranked well in livability and educational achievement, according to Bert Sperling, president of Sperling’s Best Places, which studies urban areas.
“It used to just be a suburb of Washington,” he said. “Now it’s become its own place.”
