MIAMI - Hispanic magazine named this city the best place to live for U.S. Latinos, citing a drop in the crime rate that boosted the city from No. 3 on the list last year.
Miami's crime problem had kept the city lower, or off the list, published each year since 1996. Miami was 24th four years ago.
But safer streets helped Miami knock San Diego from first to second place this year. The crime rate in Miami-Dade County dropped nearly 4 percent in the past year and nearly 35 percent over the last decade, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
"This multicultural metropolis has got it all," writes Eman Varoqua in the August issue's cover story. "A thriving Latino community, a strong job market, striking streetscapes and a voice that's loud and clear across the country."
Opportunities for cultural enrichment and top-notch universities with the highest Hispanic enrollment in the nation also helped Miami, despite U.S. Census figures showing it is the poorest large city in the country, the article said.
Hispanic ranked cities based on the percentage of Hispanic residents, property values and trends, crime, wages, political representation, recreation, higher education and growth potential.
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz was pleased. "Obviously, it shows we've been taking notes," he said.
So was Gov. Jeb Bush, whose hometown is Miami and whose wife Columba is Mexican. It "confirms what Miami residents and visitors have known for years," the governor said.
