A typical parade in Billings, Mont., near the Boothill Mountains.
I’m not a big fan of those really silly lists—Top 10 Promiscuous Cities, Top 10 Fattest Cities, etc.—but here’s one we’ve earned:
Livability.com has named Billings one of its “10 Beer Cities 2014.”
A press release from Livability.com says this: “Billings offers innovative and award-winning breweries, residents who consume beer at higher rates than the average American, sophisticated beer tastes and a high-quality of life for beer lovers.”
That’s something to be proud of, isn’t it?
We do have one small quibble. The website’s description of Billings begins like this: “If you hear someone mention whitetail, Devil’s Tower or Boothill in Billings MT, they could either be talking about the rugged mountains that surround the city or its craft beers.”
Huh? That should have read: “If you hear someone mention whitetail, Devil’s Tower or Boothill in Billings MT, they could either be talking a species of deer, a famous geologic feature in nearby Wyoming, a local cemetery or its craft beers.”
But never mind. They probably farmed the writing chores out to some chap in India, and he did his best.
The important thing is that we continue to celebrate our beer-rich culture, and that we do our part to continue consuming beer at higher rates than the average American, and that we continue to study geography so that we are aware of what the mountain ranges of Montana are called, in case we are ever asked to do any writing for Livability.com.
Here’s the whole list of beer cities:
1. Bend, Ore.
2. Denver, Colo.
3. San Diego, Calif.
4. Albuquerque, N.M.
5. Tampa, Fla.
6. Grand Rapids, Mich.
7. St. Louis, Mo.
8. Bellingham, Wash.
9. Hershey, Penn.
10. Billings, Mont.
And if you’re wondering what Livability.com is, here’s the description: “Livability.com explores what makes small to mid-sized cities great places to live, work and visit. We examine issues related to livability such as walkability, cultural amenities, transportation, urban planning, and sustainability through exclusive research and discussions on our blog. We celebrate the accomplishments of these cities through our monthly top 10 lists, our annual ranking of livable cities, our rich photography and conversations with readers in social media.”
