All Neighbors in Pittsburgh's Downtown
Top Neighbors: The magic behind the mirrors
You will never have to pay to be listed as a top neighbor. Period. That important detail clarified, let's discuss how we arrive at two "top neighbors" for a given region:
Localism is a bustling collection of hyper-local communities, and the top neighbors should reflect those members who are most active. When ranking users in a given region, several factors are considered. To get your foot in the proverbial door, you need to have posted at least one "Localism" article or photo for the region.
The very best way to quickly rise to #1 is to post high-quality local content. Keeping a steady strem of incoming posts and photos will massively tilt the scales in your favor.
What doesn't count toward the top neighbor ranking? ActiveRain points and community sponsorships. The top neighbor spots will always go to the most active members in a region. We want to create a level playing field that encourages the growth of communities — talent and dedication are required to win the day.
Get downtown tonight for the Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District. From 5:30 until 9:00 you can visit the galleries, watch dance performances, participate in the cell phone disco (you'll just have to go to find out what that is), sample fare by Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts, see fire dancers and listen to the music. If you have not had a chance to attend before it's a great event for all ages. (The photo is from First Night on New Year's Eve, another great event in the Cultural District!)
In an otherwise glum story from Fortune Magazine on the 
More good news for Pittsburgh. Forbes Magazine ranked us #22 out of the top 100 largest American cities for Best Bang-For-The-Buck. A solid housing market, relatively stable employment picture, low cost of living and quick commutes were among the factors that were considered by the magazine.
