Alexandria’s downtown makes top 10 list

Published March 18, 2014 by Robert Powell, III

Alexandria has one of the top 10 downtowns in the country, according to Livability.com.

The website, which ranks localities on a wide range of scales, named the Northern Virginia No. 5 on its best downtowns list.

‘The more than 7,000 people who live in downtown Alexandria, Va., commonly called Old Town, get to experience every day what millions of visitors come to see – one of the best preserved examples of Colonial architecture in the country,” the website says. “Cobblestone streets and century-old buildings evoke memories of the past, but anyone walking through Old Town will experience the area's modern, hip vibe.”

Topping Livability’s top 10 list was the downtown of Fort Worth, Texas.

Others on the list were Providence, R.I.; Indianapolis; Provo, Utah; Frederick, Md.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Bellingham, Wash.; Eugene, Ore.; and Birmingham, Ala.

“The best downtowns foster creativity, inclusion and innovation. They showcase what is good about a community by offering a diverse array of local architecture, art, lifestyles and things to do,” the website says.
In drawing up its list, Livability used data such as improvement in retail and office vacancy rates, population gains, income growth, unemployment and the ratio of people who live and work in the downtowns.

“But numbers alone can’t tell you what makes a downtown great,” the website. “For that you need to see the skylines, hear the street sounds and talk to people who've been there. We took a look, talked with our well-traveled staff and made our picks.”