1- Miami, Fla.
Healthy ozone levels, low pollution and high-quality water boost Miami.
2- Seattle, Wash.
The nearby Cascade Mountains keep pollution low. Seattle also spends more per capita on waste management than any major city.
3- Jacksonville, Fla.
The only major city with a top 10 ranking in all the categories.
4- Orlando, Fla.
The family-friendly land of Disney scores big on ozone and air pollution levels.
5- Portland, Ore.
Portland has spent $2 billion over the last decade cleaning up the Willamette River. Adding light rail and more sidewalks has cut down on auto emissions.
6- San Francisco, Calif.
The City by the Bay ranks in the top five in waste-management spending and water quality.
7- Oklahoma City, Okla.
One of the few land-locked cities on the list, Oklahoma City ranks in the top 10 for both particle pollution and ozone levels.
8- Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.
Tampa spends more per capita on waste management than any major city other than Seattle, helping make up for lower rankings on water quality.
9- Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
The Twin Cities rank first among major metros for healthy ozone levels, which counters so-so rankings for waste removal spending and water quality.
10- San Jose-Sunnyvale, Calif.
Like San Francisco up the road, San Jose is among the nation’s leaders in water quality. The area also cracks the top 10 for lowest levels of air pollution.
According to Tom Van Riper on www.forbes.com
Check out WatchMojo’s ‘Top 10 World’s Dirtiest Cities’