When it comes to the coolest cities in the United States, eight Golden State cities made the cut, including Santa Ana in 20th place. This begs the question: what makes a city cool in the eyes of Forbes? To answer this, Forbes partnered with BestPlaces to rank the 60 largest metropolitan areas. Riverside was one of the cities that made the cut, and it's not hard to see why. The criteria included large populations of young adults aged 20 to 34, population growth since 2000, and cities with ethnically and culturally diverse populations.
All of these criteria describe Riverside perfectly. In addition, Forbes also added up the number of entertainment options per capita in the area. This includes professional and university sporting events, golf courses, zoos, theatrical performances and national parks. Riverside is a large college town with Joshua Tree National Park and the Riverside County Philharmonic.
It's no wonder why this city made the cut when it comes to being cool.
