Atlanta in top 5 of nation’s most fun cities, analysis finds

Are we having fun yet? According to WalletHub’s analysis, the answer most likely is yes.

Of course we have fun during the holidays, with pop-up bars, ice skating and light displays, but some cities are more fun that others all the time. Atlanta, for example, is the fourth most fun city in the United States, the analysis found.

“Finding a city that matches your own unique brand of fun is important,” WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said. “All cities have a variety of activities, but some shine more than others when it comes to things like parks and beaches, live music and comedy, partying, sports culture or fine dining. Picking a city to spend a weekend in is easy, but moving to a city where you’ll have fun on a regular basis requires more research.”

What determines if a place is fun? Well, the financial website compared more than 180 U.S. cities across three key dimensions: entertainment and recreation; nightlife and parties; and costs.

It then evaluated those cities using 65 key metrics, ranging from fitness centers per capita to the average business hours of breweries.

Each metric was graded on a 100 point scale; the higher the number, the greatest number and variety of fun and cost-effective activities.

When the numbers were totaled, Atlanta finished at No. 4, with a score of 55.73. The Peach City just missed the No. 3 spot, bested by Miami’s 55.91.

Las Vegas claimed the top spot with a score of 71.38, followed by Orlando — it’s tough to compete against Disney World — with 62.42. San Francisco, with 52.35, rounded out the top five.

Atlanta finished No. 9 for entertainment and recreation; No.6 for nightlife and parties; but No. 104 for cost.

In addition, the city ranked:

Wondering how to squeeze the most fun out December? We have 31 suggestions for you.