About Bert Sperling

For over twenty years, Bert Sperling has been helping people find their own Best Place to live, work, play, and retire. As the foremost creator of these studies, his work appears in the national media nearly every month, where they enlighten and entertain millions. Sperling appeared on the Today Show to introduce his book “Cities Ranked & Rated: Your Guide to the Best Places to Live in the U.S. & Canada” (Wiley). His book, “The Best Places to Raise Your Family” (Wiley) was released in May, 2006, and the second edition of the best-selling “Cities Ranked and Rated” was released in May, 2007. Annually, his “Healthiest Cities for Women” study is featured in SELF magazine. Other projects include “Best Places to Live” and “Best Places to Retire” (Money), “Best Cities for Women” (Ladies’ Home Journal), “Great College Towns” (Newsweek), “This Town Rocks! – Best Cities for Teens” (Seventeen), “Best Places to Buy a Second Home” (Smart Money), “Best Places to Raise an Outdoor Family” (Outdoor Explorer), “Hot Dating in Small Towns (MTV), “America’s Best City to Live” (USAWeekend) and features in Country Home, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Men’s Fitness, Kiplinger’s, Business Week, Marketwatch, Fortune, and Forbes. Sperling’s firm has also performed a number of “Best Places” studies for corporate campaigns including the recent “Most Photogenic Cities“ (FujiFilm), “Most Romantic Cities” (Korbel Champagne), “Best and Worst Cities for Skin Care” (Keri Lotion), “Safest Cities” (Chevrolet), “Worst Places for Fleas” (Hartz Mountain), “Most Hazardous Places” (Duracell), “Pet Healthiest Cities” (Purina), “Asthma HotSpots” (Glaxo Smith Kline), “America’s Sweetest Cities” (Hersheys), “Most UnWired Cities” (Intel), “Most Drivable Cities” (Pep Boys), “Most Fun Cities” (Cranium), “Best Cities for Sleep” (Ambien), “Most Stressful Cities”, “Best Cities for Dating” (AXE Bodyspray), “Sites for Sore Eyes” (Acuvue), “Best and Worst Cities for Navigation” (Avis/Motorola), “Most Fiscally Fit Cities” (State Farm), “America’s Healthiest Cities” (Centrum), “Best Cities for Seniors” (Banker’s Life), Riskiest Cities for ID Theft (Intersections), American Heart Association (Heart Friendly Cities), AARP (Best Retirement Spots) and more. Sperling has made his information available on the web site, www.bestplaces.net. Urban sociologist Richard Florida (“Rise of the Creative Class”) states, “…Bert’s site is the best one currently available. I’ve tried many.” The web site has been the focus of articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, as well as a free resource for millions of visitors. Corporate partners licensing city and neighborhood data from his firm have included MSN.com, eBay, Yahoo!, AOL, the Wall Street Journal, CNN-Money.com, USNews.com, First American, LandAmerica, Experian, and the web sites of the nation’s largest real estate and relocation companies. Bert Sperling currently spends his time in Depoe Bay and Portland, Oregon, after living in Kodiak, Alaska; Carmel Valley, California; Key West, Florida; and Long Island, New York.