The Best and Worst Run Cities in America

247 Wall St. ^ | January 5, 2012 at 6:15 am

[Jeff Chandler]

9. Chandler, Ariz.

> Violent crime per 1,000 people: 2.86 (14th lowest)
> Poverty rate: 8.2% (6th lowest)
> Adult population graduated from high school: 91.5% (13th highest)
> Credit rating: Aaa (stable outlook)
> Population: 236,775

Chandler is one of the newest large cities in the U.S. The city was incorporated in 1951, but the population did not truly expand until very recently. In 1980, Chandler, which is located within the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, had a population of 30,000. Now, it has a population of 247,000. There are countless examples of cities that experienced this level of growth, but few, especially in the Southwest, that maintained a healthy economy through the recession. And despite home values dropping precipitously in the city, like the rest of the Phoenix region, Chandler managed to maintain a healthy economy. In 2010, the city had the ninth-lowest unemployment rate among the largest cities, and the sixth-lowest poverty rate. Chandler has been assigned a perfect Aaa stable rating by Moody’s. The credit rating agency justified the rating: "The stable credit outlook reflects Moody’s expectation that management will continue to maintain favorable financial operations and strong reserve levels despite ongoing economic weakness."

[Jeff Chandler]

It's good to be Chandler.

[clamper1797]

Have an aunt Chandler who lives in Morgan Hill Ca. I live on the Tempe Chandler border. Nice place ... love it here

[showme_the_Glory]

Not to mention they host the World Dragboat Finals.

[Old Retired Army Guy]

Doesn’t it get a tad warm there in the Summer?

[BipolarBob]

So where’s the list?

[clamper1797]

Depends what you call “warm”

[Disambiguator]

Intel has a plant in Chandler. I’m sure that skews the numbers. Rio Rancho, NM, is similar (they have the largest Intel plant in the lower 48).

[YHAOS]

It seems the worst thing that can be said of the Best Run Cities is that they are fueled by an attitude that can best be summed up as "too white."

[Jeff Chandler]

http://247wallst.com/2012/01/05/best-and-worst-run-cities-in-america/2/

[SandRat]

ping

[pogo101]

I stopped reading when I saw San Francisco as #11 in the BEST (not worst) list. OK, we’re done here. (No offense to Chandler, mind you.)

[x]

Whatever nonsense city councils and community activists get up to, if the trash is picked up and you can walk the streets a city can make a claim to being "well-run."

And say what you will, San Franciscans are very tidy people and most of them don't have kids, so except when they're having a parade, I'd imagine things go pretty smoothly there.

[pogo101]

The last term that comes to mind when I think of my visits to SF is “tidy.” “Reeking of urine and human feces” and “awash in obviously able-bodied, aggressive bums” are prominent choices.

It may be tidy where the voters largely are, but where the hoi-polloi tourists go? Not so much.

[x]

I forgot about the bums vagrants homeless.

That's one area where moonbat politics can have real world negative consequences.

My thinking was that they couldn't be doing everything wrong if rich people keep moving into the city.