I remember the ado over the "most liveable city" surveys. My former hometown, Fargo, North Dakota, always ranked near the bottom when weather was included and near the top when it wasn't.
Ditto for San Fransicko-- it is a paradise if you are a rich well-connected gay and hell if you are one of the poor schmucks who work for a living, pay taxes and are trying to find affordable housing.
My own yardstick is to look at who wants in and who wants out. Nobody every drowned in a rubber raft heading to Cuba.