5. Portland-Vancouver –Beaverton (Ore.-Wash.)
Metro population: 2.1 million
Unemployment rate: 6.7 percent
Cost of living index: 114.4 (100 is average)
Portland is one of the top 10 places for indie culture in America, and it’s a gorgeous city that comes in at No. 1 for green living, says Sperling’s Best Places.
