Survey Determines Top 'Chill' Cities in America

Baileys,  cream liqueur, and Sperling's BestPlaces, ranked cities across the U.S. based on their "Chill Index," which analyzed and compared the 100 most populous cities to find which residents have the most time to "Chill Together."

Sperling's BestPlaces, the leading expert in residential research, divided cities into three groups based on size -- mega (markets 1-10), large (markets 11-55), and medium (markets 56-100). The study then researched both the behavior of a city's residents and the opportunities that a city provides for its residents to hang out and enjoy their lives together. Criteria that helped raise the "Chill Index" for cities were the number of locations such as bars, coffee shops, parks, sporting events and beaches that are available for residents to simply hang out in each city.

In addition to the criteria that could raise a city's "Chill Index," high commute times and high average hours worked per week could lower a city's score, based on the logic that such factors would cut into available time to relax and enjoy time with friends and family. Other factors that lowered the "Chill Index" for cities were lack of restaurants and pro and organized sports, limited concerts and lower dining out expenditures.

"The Baileys 'Chill Together' survey reminds consumers about the importance of spending leisure time with friends and family and recognizes those cities that offer residents the most opportunities to enjoy a variety of chill occasions," said Ami-Lynn Bakshi, Baileys Brand Director, "With summer temperatures on the rise, we hope this survey keeps chilling together top of mind."

The top five mega cities, in order, are Phoenix, New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago. In the large category, Portland lead the group, followed by San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, and San Diego. Colorado Springs was at the top of the smallest cities in the survey, with Jersey City, Omaha, Albuquerque, and Honolulu not far behind.

Key Findings

* The top five large cities are all from the west. Portland took the top spot, and two California cities made the cut. By comparison, the mega and medium groups were more widely distributed geographically.

* The top 'Chill Together' mega city is Phoenix, due to its high population age in the 25-34 category, as well as good scores in the category of sporting events and number of parks.

* Portland was the top ranked large city, with a very high score in number of coffee shops, and solid showings in expenditures for at home entertaining, number of parks, and the population of residents age 25-34.

* Colorado Springs ranked first for medium cities. Its strengths were its almost study-leading score in expenditures for at home entertaining and excellent scores in the coffee shops and eating out criteria.

"Available public transportation options for each of the top cities also helped raise their "Chill Index" on this list, as we want our consumers who are enjoying Baileys responsibly to also enjoy it safely throughout the year," said Bakshi

The top 100 most populous cities in the United States were included in the study, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2005 estimated population was used to determine the most populous 100 cities.

22 June 2006