San Francisco named America's 'coolest' city by Forbes

San Francisco was named America's coolest city by Forbes. Click through the slideshow to see Forbes' full list of the coolest cities in America. San Francisco was named America's coolest city by Forbes. Click through the slideshow to see Forbes' full list of the coolest cities in America. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close San Francisco named America's 'coolest' city by Forbes 1 / 25 Back to Gallery

San Francisco, the best U.S. city for singles and the worst U.S. city for drivers has yet another distinction: the "coolest" city in America.

What makes a city "cool?"

Forbes, in conjunction with Sperling, has released a list of "America's coolest cities," with each city's "coolness" determined by the following nine factors:

Quality and quantity of recreational options, including sporting events, parks and zoos.

Share of non-chain restaurants in each city.

Percentage of commuters who use "eco-friendly" means of transportation such as bikes, mass transit or hybrid/electric cars.

Number of coffee shops, coffee roasters and breweries (the logic is that most people want to start their day with good coffee and end it with good beer).

Number of bars and clubs.

Net migration from 2010 to 2016.

Share of the population aged 25 to 34.

Diversity levels determined by Sperling's Diversity Index.

Small business employment growth between 2010 and 2015.

MORE: The Bay Area's richest billionaires, according to Forbes

San Francisco's top performing categories were local restaurants, alternative transportation and diversity.

Seattle ranked second on the list, performing well in the recreation and brewery/coffee shop categories.

San Diego ranked third, New Orleans ranked fourth, and Portland ranked fifth.

Click through the slideshow above to see the full list.