Pensacola ranked among 7 Florida cities on 'Best Cities in America 2023' list

Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal
·3 min read
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Pensacola’s hard work is paying off as the city continues to find itself a regular guest on lists featuring America’s best cities across platforms like Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and now Resonance Consultancy’s list of “America’s Best Cities of 2023.”

The City of Five Flags just barely managed to sneak its way onto the list, ranking at No. 96 among giants like New York City, Chicago and Miami.

Resonance Consultancy, a leading company that provides extensive data to inform tourism, real estate and economic development for over 15 years, released its eighth list of America’s Best Cities for 2023.

U.S. News & World Best Places to Live: Pensacola jumps 16 spots on U.S. News' Best Places to Live 2023-2024 list. Where it ranked:

The company ranks U.S. principal cities of metropolitan areas with populations of more than 500,000 by using a combination of statistical performance and qualitative evaluations by locals and visitors in 26 areas grouped into six core categories.

Here’s how Pensacola made the list.

Pensacola makes list as Florida’s ‘pocket-sized secret’

Resonance says Pensacola’s white-sand beaches, rich history and small footprint were some of the stand-out reasons the city made the list.

“History and proximity to Alabama help explain the vibe: Southern hospitality, ironwork balconies and historic bars. Over the course of its 442-year history, Pensacola has been ruled by the British, the Spanish, the French, the Confederacy and the United States — hence its nickname of ‘The City of Five Flags,’ the company wrote about Pensacola.

Aerial photos of downtown Pensacola.
Aerial photos of downtown Pensacola.

Among the 26 categories and subcategories used to determine rank, Pensacola ranked No. 73 in Sights and Landmarks, No. 60 in Place and No. 22 in the Outdoors subcategories.

Resonance also pointed to the city’s economic footprint, highlighting the 500+ businesses in the area that specialize in industries including aerospace and defense, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and professional services with remote talent arriving daily.

Seven Florida stories make the ‘America’s Best Cities of 2023’ list by Resonance Consultancy

Seven Florida cities ranked on the ‘America’s Best Cities of 2023’ list by Resonance Consultancy, with Miami scoring as high as the No. 6 spot and Lakeland topping off the list at No. 97.

  • Miami (No. 6)

  • Orlando (No. 17)

  • Tampa (No. 27)

  • Jacksonville (No. 61)

  • Cape Coral (No. 91)

  • Pensacola (No. 96)

  • Lakeland (No. 97)

Best places to live in Florida: Pensacola named in Forbes' Top 10 places to live in Florida

‘America’s Best Cities of 2023’ methodology

Resonance Consultancy ranks U.S. cities by using a combination of statistical performance and qualitative evaluations by locals and visitors in 26 areas grouped into six core categories: Place, programming, prosperity, product, people and promotion.

Here’s a quick explanation:

Place

This category quantifies a physical sense of place, and factors how walkable and bike-friendly a city is, how well its parks and landmarks are reviewed and more.

  • Walk score

  • Biking

  • Sights & landmarks

  • Outdoors

Product

A ranking of the “hardware” of a city. This looks at the city's key institutions, attractions and infrastructure.

  • Airport connectivity

  • Convention center

  • Museums

  • University

  • Pro sports teams

Programming

Programming measures a city’s food, shows, shopping and nightlife.

  • Culture

  • Nightlife

  • Restaurants

  • Shopping

  • Attractions

People

This measures how diverse a city’s population is, based on a local scale.

  • BIPOC residents (the percentage of non-white citizens)

  • Educational attainment

  • Foreign-born residents

Prosperity

This category takes a look at how well-paid and economically secure a city’s residents are.

  • Fortune 500 companies

  • Knowledge-based businesses

  • Cost-of-living-adjusted earnings

  • Poverty rate

Promotion

This measures how well a city tells its story, and how it incentivizes and rewards sharing experiences among locals and visitors.

  • Facebook check-ins

  • Google search

  • Tripadvisor reviews

  • Instagram hashtags

  • Google Trends

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola ranked in 'Best Cities in America 2023' list by Resonance