The pick for America's 'coolest' city will surprise you

When you think of a cool, hip, trendin' city, naturally you think of … Houston? Probably not. However, the folks at Forbes insist that the city's recession-proof economy has brought young professionals running to its doorstep in recent years, transitioning the Texas town from a city of dull corporate folks into a hip, thriving metropolis. Rating criteria such as restaurants and bars per capita (minus chain joints like Applebee’s), cultural composition, number of young people, net migration, unemployment rates, recreational opportunities, and number of sports teams, Houston topped the magazine's list of the 21 Coolest Cities in America. The city, which beat out Seattle, Washington D.C. and New York, boasted 2.6 percent job growth last year and currently has a median age of 33. [Source]