Accolades and Awards

Host of the Discover Jazz Festival: Since 1984 The Discover Jazz Festival - a segment of which consists of free open-air concerts along the Church Street Marketplace - is one of the ten best festivals in the country according to U.S. News and World Report.
Burlington Vermont is Clean and Green! 2009: • Burlington's Hill Section named one of ten "Best Old House Neighborhoods 2009: Northeast" by ThisOldHouse.com
2008: • CDC ranks Burlington as Healthiest City in US see www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-11-16-burlington-health_N.htm for the details
• Named Greenest City in the USA April 8th 2008 by the The Star.com
• Named second in "Greenest Small City in America" contest by Organic Gardening magazine
• Competing with the likes of Chicago , New York City -Burlington out ranked them as the City Mayors selected the greenest citys .
2007: • Named "Best Green Place to Live in America" by Country Home magazine.
• One of "Best Places to Retire Young" by CNNMoney.com.
• featured in bestselling book "1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die" by Patricia Shultz.
• Winner "Best Town" competition on Burbia.com.
• Ranked #1 in a regional study of downtowns commissioned by the Rues Principales Vieux-Saint-Jean compared to 16 other downtowns in Quebec
• Ranked among "Top Ten Greenest Cities" by real estate service, Move.com.
• "Tree City USA" award by National Arbor Day Foundation for 13th year
• Top 25 "Small Cities and Towns" Arts destinations by readers of American Style Magazine
• Ranked #5 among "Top Ten Places to Retire Young" by Money Magazine
• Ranked Burlington metropolitan area as "Greenest City" in the country in survey of 379 metropolitan areas nationwide. Based on air and watershed quality, mass transit use, power use, and number of organic producers and farmers' markets.
• Ranked 2nd out of 72 cities (50 largest cities in the country plus largest cities in each state) nationwide by The Earth Day Network on its Urban Environment Report.
2006: • Named runner-up (Boulder, Colo. was first) in "Best All-Around" town category in "Best Outside Towns" by Outside Magazine.
• Ranked #4 in "Top Ten Cities for Beer Lovers" by Shermanstravel.com on MSNBC.com (behind Amsterdam, Berlin and Brugge, Belgium).
• Designated as a "Bicycle Friendly Community" by the League of American Bicyclists
• Featured as a "Great Garden Town" in Organic Gardening magazine. • Ranked 4th among "Top 10 cities for Beer Lovers" by ShermansTravels.com.
• Ranked 5th in "America?s Healthiest Places for Women," Self Magazine.
• One of the "Top 25 Cities for Art" in the small cities and towns category, American Style Magazine.
• Burlington's Five Sisters neighborhood on the list of "Top Cottage Communities," Cottage Living Magazine.
• Burlington named the "Best of the Best" places to live (top 5 of their "50 Best Places to Live," Men's Journal Magazine.
• The Top 10 Greenest Cities, homestore.com (AOL Real Estate)
2005: • One of "50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live," by author Gregory Kompes.
• Burlington was number 12 among the top 25 small cities in American Style Magazine's "Top Arts Destinations" for 2005.
• Ranked as the "third-funkiest city in the world" by British Airways' magazine Highlife.
• Economy.com ranked Burlington #1 in the U.S. on its index of business vitality.
• One of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations, The National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• No.3 Best State for Healthy Kids, Child Magazine
2004: • No.1 Best State for Women, Institute for Women's Policy Research. • No.3 Healthiest State, United Health Foundation, (see full report titled "America's Health: State Health Rankings" at www.unitedhealthfoundation.org). • No.6 in the World for Destination Stewardship & Sustainable Tourism Initiative, National Geographic Magazine.
• "One of the 10 Best Small Cities in America," Men's Journal Magazine.
• Burlington is one of five U.S. cities to receive Delicious Living magazine's "Impressive City Award" for its "exceptional efforts toward sustainable living."
• "Top 25 Small Cities for Doing Business in America" (job bases up to 150,000). No.7 Best Small Cities to Do Business. Inc Magazine.
• US Conference of Mayor's presents Burlington with a City Livability Award.
• No.7 Most student-friendly U.S. City for populations under 1 million, Collegia Magazine.
• No.2 Happiest and No.4 Healthiest Place to Live in the U.S., Self Magazine.
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2003: • Ranked number 1 in Northeast, "Best Places to Live" (Metro 50,000 - 500,000). Men's Journal Magazine.
• "One of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations,? National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• Best Overall Program: Population 25,000-50,000? from Sister Cities International for the Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Relationship.
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2002: • Ranked No. 4 for "Healthiest" and No. 2 for "Happiest" City for Women. Self Magazine.
• One of the Top Ten Best Cities for: Economy (10): Jobs (1); Education (8); Child Care (2). Ladies Home Journal Magazine.
• International Association of Public Participation gave Burlington a "Core Value Award" for the Burlington Legacy Project.
• Burlington's Marathon, the Vermont City Marathon, was named top 20 best marathon events in the country. Runner's World Magazine.
• Sixth most artist-friendly alternative to N.Y. and L.A. according to Susan M. Brackney, author of "The Not-so-Lost Soul Companion," based on cost of living, unemployment rate, availability of affordable housing, projected economic grown, local flavor, charm, and the value placed on performing arts.
2001-03, 2005: • Vermont is Nation's Healthiest State, Morgan Quitno Press.
July 1968: Cited in Harper's magazine as a working model for the ideal American city
June 1991: Voted "Best in the Northeast" Inc. magazine in its "Best Cities for a Growing Business."
1993: Featured in book "50 Fabulous Places to Raise your family" by Lee and Saralee Rosenberg
June 1993: Best Place in the Nation for Raising Children by Zero Population Growth, Washington, D.C.
November 1993: Listed in a survey by Kimberley Stansee entitled "Top 10 Best Cities for running a Home-Based Business" in Home OfficeComputing magazine.
September 1995: One of five retirement cities listed in N.Y. Times Sunday Magazine: "The rise of the college city; the best new place to live."
1995: "A Good Place to Live" by Terry Pindell (A Good Place to Live: America's Last Migration)
May 1997: "Burlington: Northern Light" (Nation magazine)
1997: "A Latte Town" by the Weekly Standard ("The Rise of the Latte Town")
No.1 in Top 10 Cities to Have it All: Arts and Entertainment TV, November 1999
No.1 and Graded A+ Overall on AOL for Kidfriendly Cities: AOL, September 2001
Safest State in the Nation (Vermont): Morgan Quitno Press, June 1996
Vermont is Nation's Healthiest State: Morgan Quitno Press, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
No.3 Healthiest State: United Health Foundation, Nov. 2004 (see full report titled "America's Health: State Health Rankings" at www.unitedhealthfoundation.org)
No.3 Best State for Healthy Kids: Child Magazine, 2005
No.1 Place for Families that Love Outdoor Sports: Outdoor Explorer Magazine, June 1999
No.1 on List of Seven "Dream Towns": Outside Magazine, June 1995
No.4 on UTNE Reader's List of Most Enlightened Towns: Utne Reader, May 1997
No.6 Best Family-Friendly Place in the Nation: Reader's Digest, April 1997
No.7 Hippest Arts Town in the US: 100 Best Small Arts Towns in America, John Villani, June 1996 [excerpts]
50 Places of a Lifetime (Vermont): National Geographic Traveller, October 1999
No.1 Best State for Women: Institute for Women's Policy Research, Nov. 2004 [pdf]
No.10 Best City for Women: Ladies Home Journal, November 1998
(and Burlington rated 3rd in 1997)
One of 4 Outstanding Getaways in the Northeast: USA Weekend magazine
One of 7 Best Retirement Locations: New England Choices; Living Made Better After 50 - February 1996
One of Top 10 Cities to Raise a Family: Parenting Magazine, 1997
No.1 Most Livable Cities with Population Under 100,000: The US Conference of Mayors, June 1997
Awarded the Great American Main Street Award: National Trust for Historic Preservation, April 1997
One of 15 Best Walking Cities in America: Walking Magazine, May 1998
No.5 "Boomtown, 75 Top Cities to Start a Business": Point of View magazine, December 1998/January 1999
One of 10 "College Towns Worth a Visit": Princeton Review - "The Best Colleges", October 1999
One of America's Ten Fittest Cities for Women: Health magazine, March 2000
One of 50 Best Places to Live: Maturity magazine, May/June 2000
One of 10 Great Places for Campus Culture: USA Today Travel Guide, November 1999
No.7 Most student-friendly U.S. City for populations under 1 million: Collegia, 2004
No.2 Happiest and No.4 Healthiest Place to Live in the U.S.: Self Magazine, 2004
One of the Five Best Places to Live and Ride: Bike Magazine, June 2003
One of America's Dozen Distinctive Destinations: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2005
One of the 50 Best Places to Live & Editor's Pick in the Northeast: Men's Journal Magazine, May, 2003
No.7 Best Small Cities to Do Business: Inc. Magazine, March, 2004
No.6 in the World for Destination Stewardship & Sustainable Tourism Initiative: National Geographic, June, 2004

ENN Top 10: America's Most Environmentally Friendly Cities
(Environmental News Network), September 2000

Accolades and Awards

Other Honors and Accolades