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Chicago Is The Best Beach City In the United States, Study Says

By David Matthews | June 10, 2016 6:01am | Updated on June 10, 2016 3:53pm
 Chicago is the best beach city in the United States, according to a new study.
Chicago is the best beach city in the United States, according to a new study.
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DNAinfo/ Josh McGhee

CHICAGO — Chicago is the best beach city in the United States, a new study says. 

Wait, what? 

The shores of Lake Michigan bested the coasts of California, Florida and Hawaii in a new study released by marketing agency Digital Third Coast for Chicago Line Cruises. The study pegs Chicago as the best beach city in the United States, and No. 6 in the world. 

While Chicago's great, it's puzzling that its beaches would beat out places where it's warm more than three months a year. The reason why, the study's author said, is that the rankings don't necessarily rank the world's best beaches, but more like the best cities with a beach. 

"To be honest, the rankings are just a starting point for us," said Andy Kerns of Digital Third Coast. 

Dave Matthews explains our top beach city ranking.

The study uses a formula that largely combines three other rankings: one gauging quality of life, another tallying tourists and another looking at cost of living. Considering that and other factors, Chicago is one of the world's best cities on the water, Kerns said. 

"I think it’s completely justified," Kerns said of Chicago's ranking. "I’ve lived in New York, I’ve lived in some other big cities, and I think Chicago’s as relevant culturally in terms of diversity and a lot of this stuff than any place in the world." 

Plus we have beaches next to our Downtown, and that's awesome. 

The rankings are out the same week police said more officers will be patrolling Chicago's beaches in an effort to crack down on violence. A huge brawl broke out on Memorial Day at North Avenue Beach, and a man was charged Wednesday with attempting to shoot another man Monday at Oak Street Beach

Kerns said crime and "political stability" played a role in the Mercer Quality of Life rankings his company used for its study, but so was access to fine dining and world-class cultural institutions. 

Chicago trailed Auckland, New Zealand; Barcelona, Vancouver, Copenhagen and Singapore on the list. Read the study here

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