Aerial view looking south on Central Avenue towards South Mountain from McKinley Street

Phoenix is a Top 50 World Class City; Jumps 27 Cities to Make the List

January 15, 2020 9:00 AM

London, New York, Milan, Montreal—all well-recognized top 50 world-class cities. Phoenix, Arizona, now joins on that elite list. City of Phoenix ranks as the 49th best city in the world, moving up from 76th last year on the Best Cities list published by Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's Resonance Consultancy. The company's exclusive ranking scores cities in six perception-shaping factors.

By Eric Jay Toll for PHXNewsroom

“Latin soul, daring architecture and a reverence for the outdoors," says the World's Best Cities report. “Blends into a heady mix in the heart of the American Southwest."

According to Resonance, the city ranks 11th best in the world for weather and attractions, 34th for place, 43rd for outdoors and 46th best in the world for its product.

“It says so much about the people who make things happen in Phoenix that we are considered one of the 50 best cities in the world, and, more so, that we've jumped up 27 spots in one year," said Mayor Kate Gallego. “While we may provide many services to the community, it is truly the people who've created our exceptional quality of life and sense of place."

Phoenix ranked ahead of Denver, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Minneapolis. Among U.S., cities, Phoenix moved up into the 15th position from 18th last year. The top five in the world are London, New York, Paris, Tokyo and Moscow. In Arizona, only Tucson made the list at 91st place in the world and 28th in the U.S., jumping from 97th in the world and ranking 37th among U.S. large cities in 2019.

“We've said for years that Phoenix is a world-class city with world-class amenities," said Todd Sanders, President & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber. “It's exciting that Phoenix is receiving global attention and recognition for all that we have to offer in terms of culture, weather, amenities, and more. Our community has a lot to offer people, and I firmly believe it is the best place to live, work, and do business."

In the methodologies used to rank the best cities in the world, place represents the perceived quality of the natural and built environments. Under that umbrella includes weather, safety, neighborhoods and landmarks, and outdoors. Product is the quality and variety of a city's key institutions, attractions and infrastructure. Included in that ranking are airports, attractions, university ranking, convention center quality and sports teams.

Phoenix also ranked 46th in the world for programming. A category embracing arts, culture, entertainment and culinary scene, including the quality of nightlife.

Read more: World's Best Cities

Image caption: Aerial view looking south on Central Avenue towards South Mountain from McKinley Street. Image Credit: Paul Ramirez, Phoenix Police Department