The Best Cities for Single Women

Single women who are looking for eligible bachelors and active lifestyles might be smart to head west. According to Forbes, the recession has changed the single lifestyle in the United States. The cities that attract singles are the ones that offer rich outdoor activities, lots of entertainment venues and good jobs. Cities in the west offer single women great opportunities for romance, outdoor exercise, lots of nightlife and more sunshine, all of which adds up to high energy and fun.

San Jose, California

• According to "Men's Health" magazine, the best place for single women is San Jose. The editors rated cities on criteria such as ratios of single men to women, fitness, philanthropy, education, divorce rates and leisure spots. They state that San Jose "has the greatest concentration of single, intelligent, physically fit men who love high-adrenaline activities." In addition, San Jose has an average of 300 days of sunshine to brighten everyone's mood.

Seattle, Washington

• Writer Paula Santonocito profiled Seattle for SingleMindedWomen.com's annual top 10 list of cities for single women. Ms. Santonocito points out that it costs 20 percent less to live in Seattle than it does New York City, and that housing is less expensive than in many large cities. According to the profile, Seattle offers a lifestyle that is conducive to individuality and 30 percent of the population is single. Although Seattle isn't known for its sunshine, the weather doesn't seem to stop people from enjoying the great outdoors.

Los Angeles, California

• Richard Florida, author of "Who's Your City?" reports in the Boston Globe that Los Angeles is an attractive city for single women looking to meet men. There are 90,000 more men than women in the greater Los Angeles area. Los Angeles offers a great number of jobs in the construction, high-tech and services industries, the kind of jobs that attract men.