When the premier magazine for active men went looking for the 20 best towns in America, its researchers, editors, writers and interns came up with 48 pages describing more than 75 burgs.

“We cast an extremely wide net at first. But we had to focus,” Jeremy Spencer said earlier this week.

Spencer is the Outside magazine senior editor who supervised the project. “These cities could not just be the best places to live. … We wanted some smart thinking behind it. We wanted to tap into cities with this zeitgeist, this progressive change, change for the better, that are looking forward and doing things in a sustainable, healthy way.”

“As we say right there on the introductory page, we wanted to find 20 stars of the 21st century – progressive cities that are riding a wave of civic reinvention and fresh ideas,” Spencer said.

The results are in, and listed in the magazine’s August issue.

Tacoma ranks No. 5.

Only Washington, D.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Ogden, Utah; and Portsmouth, N.H., ranked higher.

Surprised?

Independent, unsolicited compliments from an outsider can remind us just how far Tacoma has come and what a terrific corner of the world we live in.

What does Outside see when it looks inside Tacoma?

“Nothing breathes new life into an inner-city ghost town like a couple thousand college kids,” wrote correspondent Katie Arnold, who ladled the first batch of credit on our University of Washington Tacoma.

She goes on to list the renovated Union Station, the Theater District restorations, unnamed museums, the vibrant arts center that Tacoma has become. You’ll find praise for the City of Tacoma’s risky but triumphant reclamation of the Foss Waterway, a former Superfund site; and voters’ approval of Metro Parks Tacoma’s $84 million expansion plans.

All you Commencement Bay kayakers, Tacoma Narrows squid jiggers, Point Defiance Park walkers and Titlow Park scuba divers get kudos.

The photographs showing off Tacoma – a Sound to Narrows race and a tall ship on Commencement Bay with Mount Rainier in the background – come from News Tribune shooters Russ Carmack and Drew Perine.

Rookie Councilwoman Marilyn Strickland got in this quote: “Our vision is to increase urban density while respecting the natural space. We’ve tapped only about one-tenth of its potential.”

Nice to see newcomers to the political scene who won’t rest on the laurels of their predecessors’ success that won Outside’s attention – and who understand Tacoma has much more it can achieve.

Arnold, the widely traveled former managing editor of Outside, lives in Sante Fe, N.M. But she showed she knows us by concluding in her write-up, “On Sixth Avenue, locals enjoy fresh oysters at Asado and live music at Jazzbones.”

You can’t underestimate Tacoma’s proximity to Mount Rainier and other outdoor adventures. The magazine’s name, after all, is Outside.

“The natural world is right out your door,” Spencer said. “When you see American cities like Tacoma who can retrofit … around their natural assets, we realized, ‘That’s a place I’d like to live.’”

Outside infused into its report the not-so-subtle message that many American cities suffered from urban decay during the last 40 years of the previous century – and some have figured out how to overcome it.

“So many cities out there post-World War II and through the latter part of the 20th century, it’s as if the towns are made for people who don’t talk, who get around in metal boxes with wheels and everything has to be paved for these vehicles. …That’s not the way it should be,” Spencer said.

“As we started doing this research, we asked ourselves, What are places like that? That lost sight of their potential or underutilized their potential and now had taken a turn for the better and changed things for themselves with smart, sustainable approaches to change – making life better for citizens and tackling problems in thoughtful, even elegant ways.”

Does that sound like the Tacoma you know? I think so.

I think it also warrants a reminder that many of Tacoma’s treasures – natural and man-made – didn’t “just happen.” Many people – many of you – have devoted your political, civic and personal lives to making Tacoma what Outside calls one of the stars “of America’s 21st century renaissance.”

Let’s also thank some of the leaders who made possible the amenities cited by Outside. I apologize in advance for inadvertently leaving out some important names.

Thank you David Allen, Virginia Anderson, Janet Ash, Bill Barker, Linda Bowman, Christophe Chagnard, Dale Chihuly, Troy Christian, Ray Corpuz, Mike Crowley, Nancy Davis, Norm Dicks, Brian Ebersole, Harvey Felder, Kelso Gillenwater, David Graybill, Dan Grimm, Stuart Grover, Rod Hagenbuch, Fred Haley, Larry Killeen, Babe Lehrer, Dawn Lucien, Jason MacKinnon, Dick Moe, Marcia Moe, Erling Mork, Paul Miller, Ryan Petty, Kevin Phelps, Phil Phibbs, Bill Philip, Marilyn Rasmussen, Bill Riley, Ebenezer Roberts, George Russell, Dave Seago, Herb Simon, Michael Sullivan, Fred Thompson, Frank Underwood, Tony Valenzuela, Kathryn Van Wagenen, Karen Vialle, George Weyerhaeuser, Eugene Wiegman, Juli Wilkerson and Lorraine Wojahn.

Dan Voelpel: 253-597-8785

dan.voelpel@thenewstribune.com

OUTSIDE MAGAZINE’S 20 BEST TOWNS IN AMERICA

1) Washington, D.C.

2) Chattanooga, Tenn.

3) Ogden, Utah

4) Portsmouth, N.H.

5) Tacoma, WA

6) Ithaca, N.Y.

7) Louisville, Ky.

8) Eureka, Calif.

9) Crested Butte, Colo.

10) Columbia, Mo.

Second 10 unranked: Oxford, Miss.; New Orleans; Oakland; Sacramento; Levittown, N.Y.; Wilmington, N.C.; Corvallis, Ore.; Seattle; Charlottesville, Va.; Brattleboro, Vt.