PORTLAND — Portland is a regular in rankings of the most livable cities and the most foodie friendly towns, but the latest list the Forest City has landed on is a rather dubious distinction. But it could be worse.
“Men’s Health” has published a list on its website of America’s Drunkest Cities, and Portland comes in at number 90, on the more sober side of the list, earning a B+ overall.
The list is based on rates of liver disease caused by alcohol consumption, the number of deaths in drunk driving accidents, the percentage of people who admit to binge drinking, the number of drunk driving arrests and the severity of drunk driving laws. The higher the ranking, the more sober the city.
According to the list, the least sober city is Fresno, Calif., followed by Reno, Nev. and Billings, Mont., all of which received an overall grade of F.
At number 90, Portland ranked 93rd in deaths from liver disease and drunk driving crashes; 43rd in binge drinking; 14th in drunk driving arrests; and 42nd in harsh drunk driving laws. The photo used to illustrate Portland’s alcohol culture was taken at the Great Lost Bear.
Boston came in at number 100 with a grade of A+.
In December, The Daily Beast website published a similar list based on per capita alcohol consumption, binge drinking and alcohol related deaths and ranked Portland number 18. In that list Milwaukee, Wis. came in at number one.
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