Seattle Makes Best Towns Ever List According To Outside Magazine
When choosing where you want to go to school for your MBA, of course, the program comes first. Does it offer the specializations you want? Do the graduates typically get jobs in the industry you want? Are the professors recognized authorities in their field? But have you ever considered the city or town where your MBA program resides? Sometimes location can play a bigger role than you think.
For Seattle schools, they’ve got a leg up on the competition. Not only is Seattle home to such business giants as Amazon, Starbucks and Microsoft, but Outside Magazine recently ranked it as one of “America’s Best Towns Ever” for adventure and a culture that supports it. In fact, it was listed as the “Best Big City with Bona Fide Adventure.”
While this ranking might not seem to match your MBA plans, there’s something you should remember: great cities draw great people. Many professors prefer to work in cities or towns that fit their families and their outside work interests, which gives Seattle an edge. And Seattle universities take advantage of their location with planned hikes and other activities.
According to the ranking, “Seattle is almost entirely surrounded by water. Then there are the mountains. The Cascades to the east top out at 14,411-foot Mount Rainier, while views of the Olympics to the west can be had from your deck (median household income: $71,000).”
Seattle was chosen for the list based on readers’ votes as well as a “council of experts.” The judges considered characteristics such as adventure offerings as well as food-and-drink scenes, a kid-friendly environment, and whether the city is welcoming to people of all backgrounds.
Other cities that made Outside’s list include:
- Saint Petersburg, Florida
- Bend, Oregon
- Portland, Maine
- Salida, Colorado
- Bishop, California
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Missoula, Montana
- Dayton, Ohio
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Spearfish, South Dakota
- Austin, Texas
- Asheville, North Carolina
- San Luis Obispo, California
- Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Bentonville, Arkansas
- Reno, Nevada
- Flagstaff, Arizona
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Kona, Hawaii
- Boise, Idaho
- Anchorage, Alaska
About the Author
Kelly Vo
Kelly Vo is a writer who specializes in covering MBA programs, digital marketing, and personal development.
