Portland knocked out of top spot in annual ‘Cozy Cities’ ranking

Visitors pose for a photo with one of the kittens-in-residence in Congress Square Park in September. (BDN photo by Darren Fishell)

Visitors pose for a photo with one of the kittens-in-residence in Congress Square Park during a September 2015 event. Can it get any cozier than public kitten cuddling? (BDN photo by Darren Fishell)

Last year around this time, my colleague and Urban Eye blogger Kathleen Pierce posed the question: Is coziness a science?

Kathleen was reporting at the time that the city of Portland had triumphantly claimed the title of “America’s Coziest City” in a ranking that ostensibly applied environmental health science to municipalities around the country to arrive at a Top 10 list.

The title was — and still is — a relatively new one, as well as a transparent marketing gimmick by sponsor Honeywell Heaters. It was also just one of literally dozens of accolades and national list placements Portland has received over the last six or seven years.

Yet, the Coziest City title seemed to resonate, at least temporarily earning more attention than many of those accolades get, perhaps because Portland had to overthrow inaugural 2014 champ Boston to claim the warm, comfy throne.

But now on year three of this race, the Forest City has already been knocked from its cozy pedestal.

Asheville, North Carolina, has leapfrogged Portland to be named Honeywell’s “Coziest City,” while Maine’s largest berg has dropped all the way down to No. 5.

Why has Portland fallen so far?

Well, Honeywell keeps refining the criteria it uses to determine coziness. The heater maker and environmental health scientist Dr. Ted Myatt, the brains behind the annual analysis, have always considered prevalence of restaurants and coffee shops to make their determinations.

Last year, they expanded the scope of criteria to include the presence of museums, florists, breweries and bed-and-breakfast hotels.

This year, they’re adding even more ambiance enhancers to the mix, counting the cities’ average winter temperatures and snowfall averages, among other new criteria.

(Temperatures and snow numbers are tricky — Myatt explains that heavy snow isn’t inherently cozy, nor is it inherently not cozy. He and the Honeywell researchers are looking for some kind of statistical sweet spot, and considering how the snow plays off each individual landscape.)

“We searched the entire United States for cities and towns of varying sizes that inspire coziness year round,” said Myatt in a statement. “Boston, for example, experienced record snowfall last year, yet has quaint winding streets lined with brownstones and local shops, which contribute to an overall cozy feel.”

Here’s how Honeywell describes Portland in its 2016 rankings:

“Curl up with a cup of coffee and a good book and watch the snow fall as Portland, (Maine), comes in as the fifth coziest city. While down a few spots from last year, this beautiful seaside city comes out on top for coffee shops per capita, as well as many quaint specialty grocers, book shops and top quality eateries and pubs.”

Edging the Maine city in the No. 4 spot is none other than Portland, Oregon, which finished all the way down at No. 10 in 2015.

Salinas, California, and the aforementioned Boston are Nos. 3 and 2, respectively. The only other New England city on the list is Providence, Rhode Island, at No. 7.

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.