Who's Your City? How the Creative Economy is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life - New Book by Author of The Rise of the Creative Class

TORONTO, March 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Millions of people move every year. But while most of us pay a great deal of attention to our careers and relationship choices, most people don't give much thought to choosing a place to live. According to award-winning best-selling author, Richard Florida, a professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, that is a big mistake. His new book, Who's Your City? proves that the place we choose to live is the single most important decision we can make. It has a profound impact on the jobs we have access to, our career paths, our social networks, family and lifestyle choices and ultimately the wealth we accumulate as well as our overall happiness. Who's Your City? turns the conventional wisdom on its head -- that the place we live has a profound effect on our lives, rather than the rise of technology and telecommuting has enabled us to live anywhere.

This breakthrough book is packed with facts and figures which show the enormous impact of place on our finances, life-styles, relationships, families, and overall well-being. It provides detailed rankings for every US city-region including the best places for new college grads, young professionals, families with children, empty-nesters and retirees. It goes beyond the big picture to provide a practical ten-step guide, including the unique PlaceFinder tool, to help individuals find the place that fits them best.

These are just a few of the startling new facts the book uncovers.

-- Forty million Americans move each year.

-- Just 25 city-regions account for two-thirds of the world economy and 95 percent of its new innovations.

-- The world's largest urban centers -- The New York-Boston-Washington corridor, the Chicago-Detroit-Pittsburgh triangle, and Greater Tokyo are each home to more than 40 million people and have economies that are bigger than most nations in the world.

-- Where you live increasingly determines the kinds of jobs you have access to.

-- The job market in key fields is concentrating in fewer and fewer communities.

-- We are seeing a massive migration of the most highly educated and talented people to just a handful of city-regions.

-- Your dating life has everything to do with where you love, i.e. New York is a great place for single men, but LA is an even better place for single women.

-- Three of the best places to live for recent college graduates are the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Washington DC, and Greater Boston.

-- Greater Washington DC, Stamford, Connecticut, and Manchester, New Hampshire are the best large, medium-size and small regions to raise a family.

-- San Francisco, Seattle, greater Boston, Stamford, and Boulder, Colorado are among the best places for Baby-boomers to head when the kids leave home.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Richard Florida is the Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute, and Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and the founder of the Creative Class Group, an advisory services firm which charts trends in business, communities, and lifestyles. His national bestseller The Rise of the Creative Class was awarded the Washington Monthly's Political Book Award and Harvard Business Review's Breakthrough Idea Award. He was named 2005 Esquire Magazine's Best and Brightest. For more information go to http://www.creativeclass.com or http://www.whosyourcity.com.

Who's Your City?:

How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life

By Richard Florida

Published in the United States by Basic Books, www.basicbooks.com

Published in Canada by Random House Canada, www.randomhouse.ca

Publication date: March 2008

Price: $26.95 US; $32.95 CDN Hardcover

ISBN: 978-0-465-00352-5

ABOUT THE ROTMAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT:

The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is redesigning business education for the 21st century with a curriculum based on Integrative Thinking. Located in the world's most diverse city, the Rotman School fosters a new way to think that enables the design of creative business solutions. The School is currently raising $200 million to ensure Canada has the world-class business school it deserves. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca.

who's your city?: how the creative economy is making where to live the most important decision of your life

by Richard Florida

Below are the lists of "best cities" for various life stages as revealed in the book:

Best Cities for Young Singles (ages 20-29)

Large Regions

-- San Francisco, CA

-- Washington, DC

-- Boston, MA

-- Los Angeles, CA

-- New York, NY

Mid-Size Regions

-- Madison, WI

-- Worcester, MA

-- Bridgeport, CT

-- New Haven, CT

-- Raleigh, NC

Small Regions

-- Boulder, CO

-- Santa Barbara, CA

-- Trenton, NJ

-- Ann Arbor, MI

-- Santa Rosa, CA

Best Cities for Mid-Career Professionals (30-44)

Large Regions

-- San Jose, CA

-- Minneapolis, MN

-- Austin, TX

-- San Diego, CA

-- Denver, CO

Mid-Size Regions

-- Bridgeport, CT

-- Portland, ME

-- Madison, WI

-- Omaha, NE

-- Des Moines, IA

Small Regions

-- Durham, NC

-- Provo, UT

-- Reno, NV

-- Fayetteville, AR

-- Boulder, CO

Best Cities for Families with Children

Large Regions

-- Washington, DC

-- Boston, MA

-- San Jose, CA

-- New York

-- San Diego

Mid-Size Regions

-- Bridgeport, CT

-- Worcester, MA

-- Poughkeepsie, NY

-- Ventura, CA

-- Raleigh, NC

Small Regions

-- Manchester, NH

-- Trenton, NJ

-- Boulder, CO

-- Provo, UT

-- Norwich, CT

Best Cities for Empty-Nesters (Ages 45-64)

Large Regions

-- San Francisco, CA

-- Seattle, WA

-- Boston, MA

-- Minneapolis, MN

-- Hartford, CT

Mid-Size Regions

-- Bridgeport, CT

-- Portland, ME

-- Madison, WI

-- Honolulu, HI

-- Rochester, NY

Small Regions

-- Boulder, CO

-- Trenton, NJ

-- Fort Collins, CO

-- Santa Rosa, CA

-- Norwich, CT

Best Cities for Retirees (Over 65 years of age)

Large Regions

-- San Francisco, CA

-- New York, NY

-- Boston, MA

-- San Jose, CA

-- Miami, FL

Mid-Size Regions

-- Bridgeport, CT

-- Palm Bay, FL

-- Honolulu, HI

-- Ventura, CA

-- Sarasota, FL

Small Regions

-- Santa Barbara, CA

-- Trenton, NJ

-- Santa Rosa, CA

-- Port St. Lucie, FL

-- Naples, FL

Best Cities for Gays and Lesbians

Large Regions

-- San Diego, CA

-- San Francisco, CA

-- Hartford, CT

-- Boston, MA

-- New York, NY

Mid-Size Regions

-- Bridgeport, CT

-- Portland, ME

-- Worcester, MA

-- Honolulu, HI

-- Charleston, SC

Small Regions

-- Trenton, NJ

-- Santa Rosa, CA

-- Manchester, NH

-- Fayetteville, AR

-- Norwich, CT