That’s true in NASCAR or golf, where finishing in the Top 10 on a consistent basis can earn you a lot of cash, if not the greatest of reputations. It’s also true in Hollywood, where movies don’t have to hit the top of the charts to rake in tidy profits.

Boxofficemojo.com has put together a list of the top-grossing films that never made it to No. 1.

Here are the Top 10:

To see the rest, visit boxofficemojo.com.

Advertisement

// –>
// –>
// –>
// –>
// –>
// –>
// –>

While things are relatively tight in much of the nation, some localities are worse off than others. Indeed.com assessed job markets in the 50 largest American cities to see which had the most unemployed workers per job posting.

Here are the places with the worst ratios:

1. Detroit: 18-1
2. Miami: 10-1
3. Riverside, Calif.: 9-1
4. Los Angeles: 8-1
5. Portland, Ore.: 7-1
6. Chicago: 7-1
7. Rochester, N.Y.: 6-1
8. Sacramento: 6-1
9. Orlando: 6-1
10. Buffalo: 6-1
11. St. Louis: 6-1

Advertisement

Which are the best of the best? It’s an open debate, but someone needed to stick his neck out.

Here’s our take on America’s best baseball towns:

Chicago — Cubs fans disdain the White Sox. White Sox fans don’t care much for their neighbors from the northside, either. While a 2005 World Series title brought joy to Sox fans, it was a dagger in the heart to Cubs loyalists, who have not tasted the champagne since 1908. (Don’t get us started…) Two leagues, two very different teams, two passionate fan bases. Summers in the Windy City can be long and hot, but they are rarely dull.

New York — Yankees ownership may have pressed the envelope with $2,000 box seats in the new Yankee Stadium, but for the most part, the faithful remain as supportive as they are restless. With 39 American League pennants and 26 World Championships under their belts, fans ask only one question: How long will it be before those numbers are 40 and 27? It has been a seeming eternity since the Bombers beat their crosstown rivals, the Mets, to win their last World Series in 2000. For the Mets, however, the drought is even longer, stretching back to 1986. Both teams opened new parks this year, only adding to the local buzz. Can the pair pull off another Subway World Series to commemorate the occasion?

Boston — New England fans wear the hair shirt like few others, but they’ve had quite a bit less to pout about this decade. When the apocalypse didn’t follow in the wake of their long-awaited 2004 World Series championship, the Red Sox celebrated by doing it again three years later. Red Sox nation fills Fenway Park to overflowing and boosts attendance figures in stadiums all across America. The passion is real, and it is passed on through generations. It’s not just a game, it’s a religion…or something awfully close.

St. Louis – Old-timers can regale you with tales of listening to Cardinals games all through the Midwest, and a National League-best 10 World Championships (the most recent in 2006) have only served to fuel the fire. Cardinals fans are considered among the most knowledgeable in baseball, and Busch Stadium (new or old) is a red-clad sight to behold.

Philadelphia – The City of Brotherly Love has a complicated relationship with its sports teams, but all is good in the baseball world these days as the Phillies try to defend their 2008 World Series title. A move from the cavernous Veterans Stadium to the more cozy Citizens Bank Ballpark has helped improve the game atmosphere, although Philadelphia fans will still turn on you at the drop of a hat (or, worse yet, a fly ball). Through early August, the Phillies’ average attendance of 44,135 was about 500 more than CNB’s listed capacity of 43,647. Hard to argue with that.

Advertisement

However you go about it, you know one when you see one. Stroll around Wrigleyville before a Cubs game, for instance, and it’s pretty clear you’re someplace special. Same with Fenway Park.

It’s not just a number, it’s a feeling.

Which are America’s best sports cities? It’s a list sure to stir up some debate, but here are 10 that have to be in any discussion:

Advertisement

Here’s our totally arbitrary list of the best American towns to visit:

1. New York: Central Park. The Theater District. Times Square. Food. History by bus, boat or foot. Two new baseball stadiums. What more do you need?

2. Chicago: Architecture. The Arts. A cool downtown river scene. The lake. And, oh yes, the Cubs!

3. San Francisco: Okay, so Mark Twain said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Pack a sweater and get over it. A great town with a rich and diverse population and just about any kind of food you’d ever imagine consuming. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Drive out to the Wine Country. Drink Irish coffee at the Buena Vista. You can hit the treadmill when you get back.

4. Boston: Arguably America’s best walking town. You can take in a huge chunk of American history on foot, stopping only for the occasional microbrew and maybe a lobster. If you like baseball, pay what it takes to mix in a Red Sox game at Fenway. You won’t be disappointed.

5. Seattle: There’s a myth that it’s always raining in Seattle. Not so. When the sun is out, in fact, this is one of the prettiest towns around. It’s not close to much of anything, and the locals seem to like it that way. Check out Pike Market and catch a sunset over the Sound. It’s worth the trip.

6. Denver: You can get a car and head out to the mountains, but there’s plenty to do in town as well. A really cool zoo. A much improved restaurant and bar scene. And few baseball stadiums can rival the backdrop of Coors Field, which offers an impressive view of the real Rockies.

7. Austin: The Texas capital and home of the University of Texas isn’t the sleepy college town it used to be. Check out Sixth Street, or soak up some real Texana at the Texas Chili Parlor. If you want to be outside, Lake Travis is a short drive West, or you can get more ambitious and venture out into the Hill Country. There’s a good reason Austin has the most educated waitperson population in America — no one wants to leave.

Advertisement

With the chance to pick up so much revenue and exposure, teams and cities jockey for the right to play host to the event. Here’s a list of cities that have held the Midsummer Classic most often:

New York – 8
Chicago – 7
Cleveland – 5
Pittsburgh – 5
St. Louis – 5
Boston – 4
Washington – 4
Cincinnati – 4
Detroit – 4
Philadelphia – 4
Milwaukee – 3
San Francisco – 3
Houston – 3

Source: mlb.com

For some, the view from afar works just fine. A New York or a Chicago can be appreciated for the majesty of their architecture, and their skylines rank among the best around.

Who else needs to be in the discussion? The folks from Forbes Traveler thought you’d never ask. They’ve put together their list of the World’s Most Stunning City Skylines.

Here’s a peek:

Chicago

Sydney

Dubai

Seattle

Paris

London

Houston

Pittsburgh

Hong Kong

Toronto

San Francisco

Frankfurt

New York City

To read a little about each of these selections, and to see a slideshow, visit Forbes Traveler.

Advertisement

Nalgene’s least wasteful city study was produced from a survey of 3,750 Americans in the top 25 largest cities that sought to probe their “mindset.” Respondents were asked about their green habits, such as whether they used public transportation and reusable grocery bags or composted and reused containers. Read more in our story: US cities ranked on wasteful ways. San Francisco took top honors as the most mindfully-least-wastefully green city:

1. San Francisco, CA
2. New York City, NY
3. Portland, OR
4. Seattle, WA
5. Los Angeles, CA
6. Denver, CO
7. Minneapolis, MN
8. Washington, D.C.
9. Boston, MA
10. Philadelphia, PA
11. Chicago, IL
12. Baltimore, MD
13. Detroit, MI
14. Pittsburgh, PA
15. Orlando, FL
16. Cleveland, OH
17. Sacramento, CA
18. Miami, FL
19. Tampa, FL
20. Phoenix, AZ
21. St. Louis, MO
22. Houston, TX
23. Indianapolis, IN
24. Dallas, TX
25. Atlanta, GA

Advertisement

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that these metro areas added the most population through July 1 of 2008:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Advertisement

The INRIX National Traffic Scorecard 2008 Annual Report has just been released. The study analyzed congestion across the United States in comparison to 2007.

How do they do it? Tens of billions of GPS data points from vehicles on 47,000 miles of roadways are used to rank the most congested metropolitan areas and worst traffic bottlenecks.

Here are the 10 worst congested cities, and how their ranking has changed over the past year:

For more information, and a list of worst intersections, visit INRIX.

Advertisement