Phoenix's cityscape in downtown at sunset. (Shutterstock Photo/Sean Pavone)
Do you think Phoenix is a cool city? Not weather-wise, because we all know that answer. But in terms of being fashionable, chic, etc.
I ask because it landed at No. 13 in a recent ranking of the coolest US cities.
People have very different definitions of “cool” though, so here’s what this Betway Insider ranking took into consideration, plus where Phoenix stood:
- Median age: 33.9
- Number of street art murals: 48.5 per 100,000 people
- Number of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free restaurants: 23.6 per 100,000 people
- Number of hidden gem restaurants, cafes, and bars (as determined by Tripadvisor): 2.5 per 100,000 people
- Number of record stores: 0.7 per 100,000 people
- Number of upcoming music events: 39.2 per 100,000 people
- Number of tattoo parlors: 2.3 per 100,000 people
Phoenix ranked really high for murals—third out of the top 15—but very low for record stores. Portland and Detroit won there with five per 100,000 people.
Here’s which cities made up the top of the ranking:
- Boston
- Las Vegas
- Portland, Oregon
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Denver
- Nashville
- Washington DC
- Detroit
- Los Angeles
- Austin
- San Diego
MORE: Phoenix arts hero Robbie Pfeffer graces the ‘America’s Got Talent’ stage
Author
Support Our Cause
Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Arizonans and our future.
Since day one, our goal here at The Copper Courier has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Arizona families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.
Boycott Bar food drive: Community serves up mutual aid in response to SNAP cuts
PHOENIX – The lights of Boycott Bar’s patio switched on, and married couple Marley DeGroodt and Jocy Suarez, two of the bar’s employees, immediately...
Why health insurance is so expensive this year—and what you can do about it
Michelle Andrews November 4, 2025 This year’s Obamacare open enrollment period, which started Nov. 1 in most states, is full of uncertainty and...
Arizona is among states with the highest growth in cremations. Here’s why
Cremation has surpassed burial as the most used method of disposition in the United States and is estimated to increase by more than 80% by 2045,...
So your insurance dropped your doctor. Now what?
Bram Sable-Smith and Oona Zenda Illustrations by Oona Zenda October 29, 2025 Last winter, Amber Wingler started getting a series of increasingly...
