Dallas is the fourth most entertaining city in the U.S.: Really?

by Sarah Blaskovich

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Because of the better Texas economy, four cities in the Lone Star State made the Top 20 list.

Gus Rios

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge dots the lit-up skyline of Dallas.

In the heat of summer, a list of America's coolest cities immediately brought to mind breezy, oceanside cities: maybe Seattle or New Haven. This is about climate, right? No, Forbes is talking about the other kind of cool -- the country's hippest, most entertaining cities. And then they put Houston as No. 1. Are we sure this isn't a backhanded joke about weather?

Dallas was ranked No. 4 and Austin was downgraded to No. 19. Statesman.com writer Gary Dinges isn't amused, as Austin usually does pretty well in these sorts of lists. "Just roll your eyes and carry on. No need to obsess. We know we’re pretty darn cool — even if some stuffy business magazine thinks otherwise," he writes about Austin.

San Antonio -- definitely not one of the country's coolest cities, nor Texas' -- beat Austin. Ouch.

Now those of us in Dallas, we're pretty pleased and surprised to see a No. 4 ranking. If this were the Olympics, we would have almost gotten a medal.

Here's the list:

• 1. Houston, Texas
• 2. Washington, D.C.
• 3. Los Angeles, California
• 4. Dallas, Texas
• 5. Seattle, Washington
• 6. San Diego, California
• 7. Boston, Massachusetts
• 8. Orange County, California
• 9. San Francisco, California
• 10. New York, New York
• 11. San Antonio, Texas
• 12. Chicago, Illinois
• 13. Fort Worth, Texas
• 14. Baltimore, Maryland
• 15. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 16. Oakland, California
• 17. Bethesda, Maryland
• 18. Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 19. Austin, Texas
• 20. Denver, Colorado