San Francisco has topped yet another list, but this time it may not be a distinction that locals want. Travel + Leisure Magazine readers rated San Francisco the No.1 snobbiest city in America.
In the magazine’s annual America’s Favorite Cities survey, 35 cities were ranked on measures such as fine dining, high-brow cultural activities, intelligence, coffee shops and high-end shopping, among other traits. To come up with the top 20 snobbiest cities, the magazine took into account the measures traditionally associated with snobbery — like aloofness.
And guess, what? San Francisco ranked high with visitors on the snooty categories like fine dining (#5, behind Charleston, New Orleans and New York, and tied with Chicago), tech-savviness (#2, damn you Seattle), and the kind of judgey eco-friendliness that makes those unused to curbside compost feel small (#4). Those markers of money, combined with low scores in affordability (second to last, ouch) and friendliness (a sad #21), help give the impression that San Franciscans are full of themselves.
Luckily, the city also ranked first for being gay-friendly — at least some people are getting a warm welcome when they visit the city by the Bay!
Other cities that are snobby, but not quite as snobby? New York, Boston and Minneapolis/St. Paul.