What do rankings tell you about a city? They can be serious, frivolous, and just plain fun. We think Milwaukee's rankings in 2017 provide a great snapshot of who we are and why you should come check us out in 2018!

The year was off to a great start when Conde Nast Traveler included Milwaukee as one of 6 "Cities to Watch" in 2017. Travel + Leisure followed up by naming Milwaukee #6 Most Underrated City in America and #10 Friendliest City in America.

TastingTable.com placed us on their list of America's most underrated food cities, and we celebrated 4 semi-finalists for James Beard awards.

Thrillist featured the Milwaukee Art Museum, with its “wings” that open and close daily, on their list of The Most Badass Buildings in America You've Probably Never Heard Of, and Curbed added it to a list of 16 US museums with outstanding architecture.

At the confluence of three rivers and Lake Michigan, Milwaukee is a water city. Civic investment in our waterways was cited by the prestigious Urban Land Institute with its recent 2017-2018 Global Award of Excellence to Milwaukee's three-mile RiverWalk, one of 13 projects in North America, Europe, and Asia to receive that recognition. Earlier in the year, Travel Channel had named Bradford Beach on Lake Michigan one of the Best City Beaches.

Easy to get to and easy on the budget, Milwaukee made Smart Asset's Top 10 Most Affordable Destinations for a Family in 2017, along with Forbes' ranking of Milwaukee as one of the 25 Cheapest Places to Travel this Summer.

Welcoming and open to all, Milwaukee landed on Trivago's list of 10 Under the “Gaydar” LGBTQ Cities, and Campus Pride named University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee one of 25 top LGBT-welcoming universities in the country.

Friendly, underrated, gourmet, environmentally and socially aware, as well as “badass” and affordable? What can top that? Oh yes, there's the recent homage to Milwaukee as "America's Best City To Find Love" for 2017 as recognized by The Great Love Debate. They summed up their ranking this way: "It's like Chicago without the downside. Vibrant, social, welcoming — and a city where men and women have no fear of socializing together. Even before they start drinking."

And there's a lot more in store in 2018 with the launch of a new streetcar system and a $524 million sports and entertainment complex, new home to the Milwaukee Bucks. So while 2017 was momentous, we think there will be even more exciting reasons to visit Milwaukee in 2018.