The Best Cities In America For Your Social Life

By Mark Johanson | July 19 2012 3:15 PM

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No. 10 – Mountain View, California

This Silicon Valley hub boasts an abundance of live music venues, specialty shops and opportunities to sample wine -- particularly down lively Castro Street.

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No. 9 – Portland, Oregon

From Old Town to Pearl District, Portland is full of cheery bikers and pedestrians ambling past steaming food carts and competing microbreweries.

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No. 8 – San Diego

Residents hit the beach by day and flock to the historic Gaslamp Quarter by night to sample some delicious food and peruse eclectic shops.

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No. 7 – Arlington, Virginia

Just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., Arlington residents enjoy quaint cafes, upscale restaurants and all the activity and entertainment options of the nation’s capital.

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No. 6 – Brookline, Massachusetts

Brookline is barely outside Boston city limits, but it maintains a unique identity that is both urban and suburban. Residents enjoy its mix of taverns, cafes and boutique shops set among historic architecture.

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No. 5 – Seattle

Seattle, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, is renowned for its coffee culture, but its performing arts and music scenes are equally impressive.

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No. 4 – Los Angeles

Music, clubs, celebrity sightings and the allure of Hollywood make Los Angeles a social butterfly’s dreamland.

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No. 3 – Chicago

A hot dining scene, impressive art museums and gorgeous river walks keep residents of the Windy City plenty busy.

Photo: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Orlando Bloom in 'The Hobbit'

Orlando Bloom is set to reprise the role of Legolas, the Elven archer, in the prequel of Lord of the Rings - The Hobbit, according to IMDb.com

The British actor accepted the offer after long drawn negotiations, reports the site.

Earliers this week, it was announced that Cate Blanchett will be again playing Galadriel in the Peter Jackson epic. Neither Legolas nor Galadriel make appearance in the book The Hobbit.

However, according to the site the role is more than a cameo.

The Hobbit heavily features Legolas’ father Thranduil and this role has been linked with former Time Lord, David Tennant.

Martin Freeman is set to play the lead character Bilbo Baggins in the film with James Nesbitt and Robert Kazinsky also confirmed roles.

Talks are still on with Ian McKellan, Gandalf, and Andy Serkis, Gollum, as well as Hugo Weaving, who played Elrond.

The movie will be shot in New Zealand and will reportedly be split into two parts. Originally, The Hobbit was set to be a single part movie but then the idea of a second movie was floated to act as a sort of bridge between the end of The Hobbit and beginning of the Lord of the Rings.

The whole idea is not to deviate too much from Tolkien’s original and to allow expansion of the story a little bit to adjust the cast of the trilogy into the movie. The extent of artistic license undertaken will only be clear after the completion of both the parts.

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No. 9 New York City, USA

2011 International Arrivals: 10 million Growth: 3.5 percent

Are you drawn by the allure of bright lights and a thumping nightlife? Do you prefer rooftop terraces to big backyards, an evening at the theater to a night on the couch, or coffee at a café instead a cup of tea at home alone? If so, you may want to check out one of the cities on Coldwell Banker's new survey of America's top 10 markets for social seekers.

David Siroty, Coldwell Banker VP of North American Communications, defines a social seeker as someone he's not.

These are people who enjoy the restaurants, nightlife and bar scene. They're the types that want to be out and about as much as possible, he enthused. It's not so much of an age demographic as it is a lifestyle choice.

Siroty noted that one's lifestyle plays an increasing role in where one choose to live. That's why the real estate giant partnered with Onboard Informatics to launch a five-part series of lifestyle surveys geared toward identifying various communities within the United States that appeal to different types of people.

In its inaugural survey on social seekers, Coldwell Banker looked at a range of criteria, including access to public transportation; proximity to restaurants, coffee shops and nightlife; cultural offerings; and disposable income across 30,000 communities. Its top 10 list, however, includes only one city or town per core-based statistical area (i.e., the listing Manhattan would include New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island).

Siroty said several of the 29 major metropolitan areas in the United Sates were in the midst of an urban renaissance.

We saw, no matter what part of the country, a vibrancy or recommitment of municipalities to improve their downtowns. It showcases the fact that people in various stages of life want to enjoy the vibrancy of a downtown area and the lifestyle it affords.

Well-known college towns, he added, are doing especially well. Cities like Boulder, Colo.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Burlington, Vt.; Provo, Utah; and Austin, Texas, all scored highly. None, however, were in the top ten.

Press Start for a look at the best cities in America to spice up your social life.