TOP NEIGHBORHOODS: Urban Living
Solano Magazine
April/May 2008

SOLANO: First Street, Benicia
"Benicia's First Street, a picture-perfect model of quaintness, begins at City Park and slopes gently downward past restaurants, businesses and eclectic retail shops that reflect the town's artistic sensibilities. It ends at the Carquinez Strait, where a number of high-profile, contemporary townhouse developments take advantage of the view and location..."

"It's part of the city's general plan to increase opportunities downtown," says Kathleen Olson, broker and owner of Olson Realty Inc. "By and large it's worked beautifully. Each of those communities has its own personality. They infuse more vibrancy in the downtown..."

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2006 Top 25 Arts Destinations
by Christine Kloostra
American Style Magazine
June 2006

"The votes for the 2006 Top 25 Arts Destinations are in..."

Top 25 Small Cities and Towns
(Populations under 100,000)
1. Santa Fe, N.M.
2. Asheville, N.C.
3. Corning, N.Y.
4. Charleston, S.C.
5. Sedona, Ariz.
6. Berkeley Springs, W.Va.
7. Taos, N.M.
8. Key West, Fla.
9. Burlington, Vt.
10. Boulder, Colo.
11. Carmel, Calif.
12. Laguna Beach, Calif.
13. Eureka Springs, Ark.
14. Aspen, Colo.
15. Cumberland, Md.
16. Sarasota, Fla.
17. Chapel Hill, N.C.
18. Saugatuck, Mich.
19. Naples, Fla.
20. New Hope/Lahaska, Pa.
21. Annapolis, Md.
22. Brattleboro, Vt.
23. Portsmouth, N.H.
24. Benicia, Calif.
25. Tubac, Ariz.

Benicia Makes Top 10 List of Fun Places to Live
by Tony Cooper
www.sfgate.com
Friday, March 26, 2004

"Want to go out and play? Go to Benicia.
The town has been chosen by Nick Jr. Family magazine as one of the 10 Most Playful Towns in America, as well as a great place to live for families with young children.

The rankings were based on several criteria, including schools performing in the top third of their states, extensive library programs, access to arts, outdoor activities and student/teacher ratios.

"Again and again, people from Benicia would say, 'I love this town,' '' said Nick Jr. Family Magazine deputy managing editor Wendy Smolen. "It's the right combination of funkiness and great values. It's a lot of fun, a town everyone enjoys. And how can you not love a town that races camels?''

Other towns joining Benicia for the honor are Montclair, N.J.; Oro Valley, Ariz.; Moscow, Idaho; Wayzata, Minn.; Germantown, Tenn.; Keene, N.H.; Columbus, Ind.; Alpharetta, Ga.; and Shaker Heights, Ohio.
The playful-towns report appears in the April issue of the magazine, which is on newsstands."