Portland, OR: Green living

It’s hard not to be jealous of this city: Greater Portland has actually reduced its per capita carbon emissions to about 20% below 1990s levels; the streets quietly hum with the nation’s highest number of hybrid cars per capita; and it boasts the highest number of LEED-certified buildings in the country, employing 6,700 in the green industry.

Portland is also a bike commuter’s nirvana, with 15,000 people pedaling to work. It has a standout food scene (with more farms and farmers’ markets than even Seattle, San Francisco, and Sacramento). 

Okay, so it rains.