Arlington’s El Chilango food truck has made Yelp’s list of the “Top 100 Places to Eat” in the United States.
The list seeks to identify “the spots Yelpers have deemed the ultimate, try-before-you-die, food-coma-inducing, so-good-it-makes-you-want-to-slap-your-momma places to eat.” El Chilango was ranked No. 58, was the only eatery from Virginia on the list and one of only two from the D.C. area.
Washington, D.C., comparatively, was named the second-happiest city to work in the country. Each city was evaluated by 10 factors, including “one’s relationship with the boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks, and control over the work done does on a daily basis,” according to Forbes.
Each factor was rated on a five-point scale by a survey of more than 20,000 employees. Washington D.C.’s 10 factors averaged to a score of 3.925, behind only San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., which came in with a score of 3.93.
Slipping four places from last year, D.C. was judged to be the capital of ugly people.
“The locals came off as both unfriendly and not so stylish,” the magazine said. (San Francisco was ranked the most attractive city.)
The company released its annual America’s Best Drivers Report this week and once again, Arlington is near the bottom. The county ranked 10th worst, with drivers going an average of 6.7 years between accidents. That means drivers here are 50 percent more likely to get in an accident than the national average.
Bad driving in the D.C. area isn’t just confined to Arlington, however. Alexandria ranked below Arlington as the 7th worst while Baltimore and the District ranked as No. 2 and 1 worst, respectively.
The ranking, from event management software provider Cvent, is based on meeting and event booking activity in the company’s system. Arlington fell eight spots from last year’s ranking of 26.
“Earning this ranking validates the significant effort that [Arlington Convention and Visitors Services] and Arlington hotels put into making the county an attractive choice for meetings, a critical part of our economy,” ACVS Director Emily Cassell said in a press release. “It also reflects Arlington’s appeal as a vibrant urban destination in the heart of the nation’s capital – one that offers the convenience of downtown D.C., but at hotel rates averaging up to 20 percent less.”
Nearly a dozen Arlington-based organizations have been recognized as “2012 Top-Rated Nonprofits” by the review website GreatNonprofits.
The nonprofits made the list by accumulating positive reviews from volunteers, donors and clients. A total of 1,386 U.S. nonprofits were listed this year. Among those based in Arlington:
A new Bloomberg list of “large U.S. cities with wealthy one-person households” ranks Arlington as No. 2, second only to Hoboken, New Jersey. (Twenty-five percent of workers in Hoboken are employed in finance, insurance or real estate.)
To compile the list, Bloomberg examined U.S. Census data from 2006 to 2010 and identified cities of at least 50,000 people where men and women ages 15-64 “lived alone and had median incomes greater than national averages.”
Arlington has ranked #27 on Bloomberg Businessweek’s new 2012 list of “American’s 50 Best Cities.”
The county got high marks for having the highest median household income and the lowest rate of unemployment on the list. But while the county’s economy may be strong, Businessweek gave Arlington low marks for its bar scene.
The county has ranked #4 on CNN Money’s 2012 list of “Best Places for the Rich and Single.” That’s up from our #7 ranking last year.
Also on this year’s list were Alexandria, at #12, and Towson, Md., at #8. Newton, Mass. ranked #1 on the list, which takes into consideration a place’s percentage of single people and the median family income.
Arlington is receiving a distinction on another Best Places to Live list. It ranks among the top ten markets for social seekers, according to a list released by Coldwell Banker.
Arlington ranked seventh on the list. Areas with “Social Seekers” are considered those where residents would rather go out than stay home. These areas are described as “perfect for the hip, trendy and fun at heart.”
Arlington Schools Make Washington Post List — All four Arlington public high schools have been ranked in the top 1 percent of all high schools in the U.S. by the Washington Post. The Post’s “Challenge Index” ranked H-B Woodlawn 48th in the nation and 2nd in the region, the highest ranking among the Arlington schools. [Arlington Public Schools]
Bishop O’Connell Softball Team Wins State Championship — For the 17th time in 19 years, the Bishop O’Connell Knights softball team has captured the Virginia Independent Schools Division I state championship trophy. The team had a 27-1 record this year. [Sun Gazette]
Arlington Ranked Second Healthiest County in Va. — Arlington has been named the second-healthiest county in Virginia, second only to Fairfax County. The rankings were released yesterday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Arlington County works hard to promote a healthy way of living, and to provide residents with options that make it easier to stay healthy and fit,” County Board Chair Mary Hynes said, citing biking, walking and recreational activities as examples of healthy options encouraged by the county. [Arlington County]
Donnellan: Theater Builds Communities — A robust arts program is vital to quality of life in Arlington, according to County Manager Barbara Donnellan. A theater buff in high school, Donnellan says theater helps build a sense of community, which is one of the key roles of local government. [Theatre Washington]
