A great place to live? Yakima?

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Yakima is one of Men's Journal's "Best Places to Live 2010," the magazine announced Tuesday.

And, as you may recall, last June Yakima was one of Business Week's "Best Places to Start Over," based largely on our job market and low cost of living.

But last February, the city of about 84,000 was named the nation's eighth fattest by the online newsletter QualityHealth. And this February, Yakima County finished dead last in the state for social and economic conditions in a study released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Clearly the nation's list-makers have yet to reach consensus in the matter of Yakima vs. Yakima.

Are we the worst? Are we the best? Depends on what list you're reading. We've got sunshine, wine, a downtown renaissance and top-notch fly-fishing. We've got gang violence, obesity, poverty and a disproportionate number of underperforming schools.

The April issue of Men's Journal focuses on the good stuff, with a one-paragraph write-up that mentions apples, hops, grapes, wineries, rafting, hiking, climbing, skiing, floating, fly-fishing, affordable housing and that much-ballyhooed downtown renaissance.

Curiously, the article and the accompanying press release also mention microbreweries. While Yakima is a leading hop-growing region and the (re)birthplace of the American brewpub with the old Grant's Brewery, there is really only one microbrewery here these days, Yakima Craft Brewing.

There's also Snipes Mountain Brewery in Sunnyside and Iron Horse Brewery in Ellensburg, but there's hardly the "abundance of microbreweries" mentioned in the magazine's press release.

Chalk that one up to reputation. And, besides, the magazine was dead-on when it came to the rest of the highlights.

Yakima Mayor Micah Cawley, reached by phone during his lobbying visit to Washington, D.C., on the city's behalf, said he was glad to see Yakima getting some props.

"I think Yakima is underrated in a lot of the things we have to offer," he said, citing the 300 days of sunshine and the outdoor recreation opportunities.

The bad press over the years -- "fattest city" and so forth -- is something all communities get for one thing or another, Cawley said.

"It's good to hear some good news once in a while," he said.

* Pat Muir can be reached at 509-577-7693 or pmuir@yakimaherald.com.