Sour Grapes at Houston's Ranking as 19th Most Desirable City

In a Pew Research Center survey that was release at the end of January, Houston ranked 19th in a list of 30 cities Americans would most like to live. Now we've been crapped on before and we're getting used to the haters. Apparently the Minneapolis Star Tribune hasn't developed a thick skin yet, because in a recent commentary citing the Pew survey Bill Ward took jabs at several of the cities that ranked higher than their 26th place on the list. And what lovely things did he have to say about our fair city?

Abject poverty, relentless humidity, mosquitoes that dwarf ours, no urban charm and people who think the sun rises and sets on their vast wasteland of a state: a hard combination to not beat.

Goodness, what a little temper tantrum. We at Houstonist are tired of defending our city, so instead we want to know what you, dear reader, love about it. Let us know in the comments why you think Houston is great.

As for Mr. Ward, here's an idea: why not educate out-of-towners on why your city is so great? We'll give you an example: One of our best features is our residents. Folks here are kind and friendly and roll up their sleeves when a neighbor is in need. Why not live up to that stereotype of Minnesota Nice and follow our lead?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user P3t3rT