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Chicago’s awards and accolades, which recognize everything from dining and hotels to business and tourism, extend through the years. Here’s just a sampling of the recognition the city has received.

City-wide awards

• Chicago was ranked fourteenth-best city in the world in the 2024 Time Out Index Survey
• Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards ranked Chicago first on their list Best Big Cities in the U.S. for an unprecedented seventh straight year.
• Chicago was ranked as the second-best city in the country in the 2023 America’s Best Cities Report (after being named fourth best in 2022)
• Chicago was named the 2023 best big city for creatives in the United States by Business Name Generator
• Chicago was named top North American Destination for Architecture Lovers by Buildworld .
• The Langham Chicago was ranked in the top ten (#8) of the Best Hotels in the USA by U.S. News & World Report
• The Peninsula Chicago was named the “#2 Hotel in the World” by La Liste and “Best Hotel in Continental U.S.” by Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2023
• The Langham, Peninsula Chicago, and Trump International Hotel & Tower were each awarded 5-star ratings in the 2023 Star Awards Winners – Forbes Travel Guide

Transportation

• GT & OAG rankings not yet released for 2023
• Chicago was named in the top ten most walkable US cities by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards (9th place) and Thrillist
• Chicago was named the third best city in the US for public transportation by Business Insider

Dining, attractions, and neighborhoods

• Bobby’s Bike Hike Chicago was named a Top 10 Best Food Tour in America by USA Today and one of the Top 20 Food and Culinary Experiences in the World by TripAdvisor’s 2023 Travelers Choice Awards .
• Chicago’s German-American Oktoberfest was named one of the best Oktoberfests by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards
• Navy Pier named the best place to see fireworks in the nation by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards
• The Chicago Architecture Center River Cruises aboard Chicago’s First Lady ranked #2 in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards
• Hyde Park was named the 19th coolest neighborhood in the world by Time Out
• Damarr Brown of Virtue in Hyde Park received the Emerging Chef award from the James Beard Foundation
• Tim Flores and Genie Kwon of Kasama were jointly received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes for their work at Kasama in Ukrainian Village
• 45 Chicago restaurants are listed in the Bib Gourmand category
• 16 restaurants have a single MICHELIN Star
• Three restaurants have two MICHELIN Stars ( Oriole , Ever , & Moody Tongue )
• Two restaurants have three MICHELIN Stars ( Smyth & Alinea )
• Christian Hunter of Atelier in Lincoln Square received the 2023 Young Chef Award from MICHELIN Guide Chicago
• Monica Casillas-Rios of Elske in the West Loop received the 2023 Exceptional Cocktails Award from MICHELIN Guide Chicago
• Alex Ring of Sepia in the West Loop received the 2023 Sommelier Award from MICHELIN Guide Chicago
• Josh Perlman of Giant in Logan Square received the 2023 Service Award from MICHELIN Guide Chicago
• Alinea was honored by Forbes Travel Guide with a 5-star rating in the 2023 Star Awards Winners – Forbes Travel Guide
• O’Hare International Airport was named the Favorite Airport for Dining for the 4th straight year by Trazee Travel
• The Garfield Park Conservatory was named one of the Best Botanical Gardens in America by explore.com
• Condé Nast Traveler  Readers’ Choice Awards ranked Chicago #1 on their list of  Best Big Cities in the U.S . for an unprecedented sixth consecutive year.
• Chicago has been named the fourth best city in the country in the 2022 America’s Best Cities Report.
• Chicago was ranked the second best city in the world (and the first in North America) in the 2022 Time Out Index Survey .  
• The Peninsula Chicago  has been named the  #1 best hotel in the country  by U.S. News & World Report.  The Langham, Chicago also ranked in the top 10 hotels in the U.S.
• Forbes Travel Guide honored three Chicago hotels ( The Four Seasons , The Langham, Chicago and The Peninsula Chicago ) with 5-star ratings in the  2022 Star Awards Winners – Forbes Travel Guide .
• The Chicago Athletic Association has been named the top hotel in Chicago by Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards
• O’Hare International Airport has been named the “Best Airport in North America” for the 19th consecutive year and “Best Airport Dining” for the third consecutive year by Global Traveler (GT) magazine .
• O’Hare International Airport has been designated the “Most Connected Airport in the World” by Official Aviation Guide (OAG) for the first time since 2016.
• Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood was voted the third coolest neighborhood in America and #16 in the world in the 2022 Time Out Index survey .
• Chicago Architecture Center tour aboard Chicago’s First Lady was voted the  #2 boat tour in North America  by USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice 2022 Awards .
• Alinea was honored by Forbes Travel Guide with a 5-star rating in the  2022 Star Awards Winners – Forbes Travel Guide .
• The prestigious Michelin Guide awarded 23 Chicago restaurants with Michelin stars and 55 with Bib Gourmand recommendations.
• Chef Erick Williams of Virtue Restaurant and Bar received the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region .
• Kumiko was named one of the World’s 50 Best Bars .
• Condé Nast Traveler  Readers’ Choice Awards rank Chicago #1 on their list of  Best Big Cities in the U.S . for an unprecedented fifth consecutive year.
• Chicago was ranked the second most beautiful city in the world (and the first in North America) by 27,000 Time Out Index survey voters from across the globe.
• Chicago has been named the third best city in the country in the 2021 America’s Best Cities Report.
• Big 7 Travel has rated Chicago one of the 50 Most Instagrammable Places in the World 2021 and one of the most Romantic Cities in the U.S .
•  O’Hare International Airport was named “ Favorite Airport in North America ” for the second consecutive year by  Global Traveler Magazine’s  Trazee Awards.
• Chicago Transit Authority named #1 transit agency in the U.S. by World Business Chicago.
• Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood was voted the coolest neighborhood in America and the second-coolest neighborhood in the world in the 2021 Time Out Index survey.
• Garfield Park Conservatory was named the best garden in North America by Yelp users.
• Rose Mary, a Croatian restaurant by Top Chef winner Joe Flamm in Fulton Market, was named one of the 21 best new restaurants in the world right now by TimeOut.
• Chicago Architecture Center tour aboard Chicago’s First Lady was voted the #1 boat tour in North America by USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice 2021 Awards.
• Chicago is among the best sports cities in the world , according to 2021 Burson Cohn & Wolfe’s annual World Sports City Ranking.
• US News & World Report has ranked two Chicago hotels (The Peninsula Chicago and The Langham, Chicago) among the top 5 best hotels in the country .
• Forbes Travel Guide honored three Chicago hotels (The Four Seasons, The Langham, Chicago and The Peninsula Chicago) with 5-star ratings in the  2021 Star Awards Winners – Forbes Travel Guide .
• Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards rank Chicago #1 on their list of Best Big Cities in the U.S . for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year.
• GayCities.com 2020 “Best of GayCities” Travel Awards : Best Iconic Road Trip (runner-up), Urban Outdoor Hangout (runner-up), Murals that Matter (bronze), Pride in Black-owned Businesses (silver)
• Chicago named top metro area for corporate investment , according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards rank Chicago #1 on their list of Best Large Cities in the U.S . for the third consecutive year.

Attractions

• The Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood and the Unity Temple in suburban Oak Park are named UNESCO World Heritage sites, part of eight sites that represent the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Food and drink

• The global Time Out Index 2019 named Chicago the best food and drink city in the world and the third best city in the world overall.
• Twenty-five Chicago restaurants are awarded coveted stars in the Michelin Guide 2020 and 54 Chicago restaurants received Bib Gourmand designations for high-quality food with affordable prices.
• Z Bar at The Peninsula was named one of the best hotel bars in the world by Forbes.
• TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards rank The Peninsula Chicago (#1) The Langham, Chicago (#3), and Four Seasons Chicago (#18) among the Top 25 Luxury Hotels — United States .
• U.S. News & World Report names three Chicago hotels best in the country: The Peninsula Chicago (#2), Four Seasons Chicago (#5), The Langham, Chicago (#7).
• Chicago was named one of the top North American markets that meeting planners intend to use in the next two years, according to STR’s 2019 DestinationMAP (Meeting Assessment Program).
• Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards rank Chicago #1 on their list of 2018 Best Big Cities in the U.S .
• TripAdvisor ranks the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise as one of the top attractions in the country ( Time ).
• Time Out names Chicago “The World’s Best City For Having It All.”
• TripExpert awards Maggie Daley Park a 2018 Experts’ Choice Award for Attractions ( CBS ).
• Forbes names Pilsen one of The 12 Coolest Neighborhoods Around the World .
• TripAdvisor names the Art Institute of Chicago #4 on its list of Top 25 Museums – United States .
• Joe Flamm, Executive Chef of Chicago’s Michelin-starred Spiaggia and Café Spiaggia , is named Bravo’s new Top Chef .
• Fat Rice chef/owner Abe Conlon wins James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes .
• Twenty-five Chicago restaurants are awarded with coveted stars in the Michelin Guide 2018 .
• Food and Wine names Chicago chef Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya Antojeria one of the Best New Chefs 2018 .
• Elite Traveler ranks Alinea #1 on its list of the Top 100 Restaurants in the World for 2018 .
• The Chicago Tribune announces Cheers, Chicago! You’re home to the most breweries in the U.S .
• Site Selection names Chicago the top metro area in the nation for corporate relocation and investment for the third consecutive year.

Tech Innovation

• Smart Cities Connect awards Chicago a Smart 50 Award for its innovative Array of Things program, the first of its kind to be implemented on a city-wide scale.
• Chicago tops Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards for 2017 Best Cities in the U.S .
• Chicago is Expedia’s most searched for city in America.
• Bank of America Chicago Marathon is named to Compression+Design’s list of Great Running and Cycling Races From Every State .
• TripAdvisor reveals Shoreline Sightseeing’s Chicago Architecture River Cruise as the most booked tour in America .
• The City of Chicago reveals that Millennium Park is the #1 attraction in the Midwest and one of America’s top 10 most-visited sites.
• Condé Nast Traveler names Chicago Best Restaurant City in America .
• Bon Appetit names Chicago the Restaurant City of the Year 2017 .
• Food and Wine names Chicago chef Noah Sandoval of Oriole one of the Best New Chefs 2017 .
• Rick Bayless’ Topolobampo wins the Outstanding Restaurant award at the James Beard Awards ; Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde was awarded with Best Chef: Great Lakes.
• Chicago’s critically acclaimed Alinea ranks #21 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list .
• U.S. News & World Report names The Langham, Chicago the Best Hotel in the U.S .
• The Robey Chicago makes Travel+Leisure’s 2017 It List .

Tech innovation

• Modis names Chicago the nation’s top tech hot spot of the future .
• TripAdvisor’s 2016 Travelers’ Choice Awards rank Chicago #4 on their list of Top 25 Destinations — United States
• Chicago tops Time Out’s global ranking of the world’s most fun cities .
• Condé Nast Traveler names Chicago one of The Best Big Cities in the U.S .
• Chicago tops Bicycling.com’s list of The 50 Best Bike Cities of 2016 .
• Travel + Leisure names Chicago one of The Best Cities in the U.S.
• TripAdvisor names Art Insitute of Chicago among its Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Museums in the World .
• Chicago is named #6 on Condé Nast Traveler’s list of the Top 25 Best Coastal Cities in the World .
• Food & Wine names Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio one of the Top 10 Restaurants of the Year .
• The Beard Awards to Remain in Chicago Through 2021
• The Chicago Athletic Association makes Travel+Leisure’s It List 2016: the Best New Hotels on the Planet .
• Condé Nast Traveler’s 2016 Readers’ Choice Awards name Virgin Hotels Chicago and Thompson Chicago the #1 and #2 hotels in America.
• The Langham, Chicago ranks #1 on trivago’s list of The Best Hotels in the U.S.

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Chicago is the largest city in the state of Illinois. Its metropolitan area, commonly named "Chicagoland", is the 27th most populous metropolitan area in the world, home to an estimated 9.7 million people spread across the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, the second largest county in the United States by population. The city is renowned for its fascinating museums - including the Art Institute and its expansive collections, including noted Impressionist works; it is a city with an appetite for food, of course, but also for design, history, culture, finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications and transportation.

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Get An Inside Peek At The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago Makeover By Correspondent Jaydine Sayer

April 22, 2016

The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago Photo Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC

Presiding over North Michigan Avenue in the statuesque Water Tower Place shopping hub, The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago has served as a staple of the Windy City ’s tony Magnificent Mile for more than 40 years. But less well known is this bit of insider information: Despite its name, the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel wasn’t officially a part of the Ritz-Carlton chain until last August. (Its new status means, among other things, that you can make reservations and use rewards to book rooms on the Ritz-Carlton website.)

Once it became known that the hotel was being welcomed into the family, the travel industry expected a few changes would be on the horizon — and that’s exactly what has happened.

Presidential Suite Dining Area, Photo Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC

During a recent visit, we were able to sneak a peek at areas within the Chicago hotel that are being refreshed and rebuilt. These renovations are being rolled out in two phases. The first will likely be completed by the beginning of summer; the second will begin in early 2017.

Here’s a quick rundown on what to expect from the first part of the refashioning:

New Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge The new 2,600-square-foot club lounge will have floor-to-ceiling windows that peer out over the cityscape and Lake Michigan. Yes, the exclusive perks synonymous with the Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge will be offered (all-day refreshments, elegant breakfasts, a dedicated concierge) as well as unique features, like a clubby library that can be rented for private events.

The space is being designed by San Francisco firm Bamo , which has worked on Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, Rosewood Sand Hill and other impressive addresses. Expect warm walnut hardwood floors, clean-lined walnut cabinets and a color palette of blues, golds and browns.

New fitness center While the fitness center will remain on the same floor — one below the main lobby — it will take over a new space. The benefit? It will be larger with 2,700 square feet and have a much more airy, open feel to it. (The current center is a bit of a windowless box.)

The new spot will have floor-to-ceiling windows that provide views of the lake and Navy Pier, as well as a studio space for yoga and other classes. New exercise equipment will be added to fill out the bigger area, too.

The Lobby, Photo Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC

Upgraded suites The luxury hotel’s 90 suites are getting a facelift as well. Bamo has its hand in room renovations. Suites will be updated, particularly the bathrooms, which have a minimal, modern look with white vanities, gray stone floors and a separate toilet. And the guest corridors outside the suites and every other room are getting a refresh.

The spa, lobby and beyond The spa, like the gym, is located one floor below the lobby, which is plenty convenient except for one thing: the elevators from the rooms do not go directly to that floor. Currently, guests wanting to reach the spa or fitness center must first go to the lobby and then walk down a short flight of stairs.

New elevator banks are being installed so you can skip this step and arrive directly to the spa and fitness center from your guest room corridor. No more spa robes in the lobby.

Phase two of the renovations — to start and finish in 2017 — will focus on the spa and meetings/event space upgrades.

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Study ranks Chicago as most walkable city in America for tourists

By nbc chicago staff • published april 20, 2024 • updated on april 23, 2024 at 10:26 am.

With summer on the way and tourism ramping up in Chicago, a recent study shows that there is plenty of reason behind the appeal of traveling to the Windy City.

The study, conducted by Preply , analyzed major U.S. cities and measured how easy it was to navigate each city's most recognizable tourist landmarks on foot.

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Compared to European cities that are known for being walkable, the expansive and car-dependent nature of many American cities makes it much more difficult to see what a city has to offer without a vehicle.

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The study found that Chicago is the most walkable city for tourists in the U.S. by this metric, with it taking just 28 minutes to explore the city's most famous landmarks, including "The Bean" or "Cloud Gate" and the Magnificent Mile.

The brisk pace in Chicago is miles ahead of Orlando, which the study ranked as the least walkable city for American tourists.

According to Preply, it takes over 11 hours and 65,100 steps to cover Orlando's major landmarks on foot.

The only other cities where major landmarks can be seen within an hour on foot were Nashville and Dallas, taking 33 minutes and 41 minutes, respectively.

Rounding out the top five were Santa Fe and New Orleans, each requiring between 6,000 and 7,000 steps and less than an hour and 15 minutes to see the major attractions.

In addition to The Bean and the Magnificent Mile, Preply included Millennium Park itself, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Architecture Center as the spots that could be seen within 28 minutes of walking.

Outside of Chicago, Milwaukee was the lone U.S. city to crack the top 15, coming in at 15th at 2 hours and 35 minutes of walking and 14,280 steps.

You can see how other major American cities ranked along with more information about the study here.

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How many rounds are in the 2024 NFL Draft? NFL draft shifted to seven rounds in 1994

Whether it is the scouting combine , training camp or international games the NFL has been ahead of the curve — compared to its competing professional leagues (MLB, NHL and NBA) — in taking a traditional event and turning it into a fan event.

And the NFL draft is a big part of that. In fact, the argument can be made by some that the draft is the driving force behind how the NFL has grown its events throughout the years, especially ever since the league took the draft from Radio City Music Hall in New York in 2014 and took it on a road trip of sorts from NFL city to NFL city.

But before the NFL draft became the fan event that it is known today, it was an event that took place in a hotel ballroom with NFL executives and team representatives sitting at a table.

MORE: Watch the 2024 NFL Draft with Fubo (free trail)

Here's more on what you need to know about the history of the NFL draft and the schedule for the 2024 NFL Draft here in Detroit:

NFL DRAFT HUB: Latest NFL Draft mock drafts, news, live picks, grades and analysis.

History of the NFL draft

• First NFL draft: Feb. 8, 1936 | Philadelphia | Ritz-Carlton Hotel

The inaugural NFL draft took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia on Feb. 8, 1936 when the Philadelphia Eagles took University of Chicago running back Jay Berwanger No. 1 overall. Before 1936, NFL clubs were able to sign any player and vice versa. Eagles co-owner Bert Bell  is the man considered the brains behind the formation of the NFL draft or the "Father of the NFL draft" if you will. The 1936 NFL Draft had nine rounds to it with a pool of 90 players eligible.

Naturally, with anything being new, there was skepticism about the draft when it first started. Only 24 of 81 selected players in the 1936 NFL Draft went on to play in the NFL — including Berwanger, who won the Heisman Award that season — according to the NFL Operations website.

As noted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame , the NFL saw continuous challenges in the early part of the draft, especially in 1959 when the American Football League was started. The tension between both leagues — mainly caused by the shared of pool of players — was not resolved until the 1966 season when both leagues decided to merge into one starting in 1970.

The 1980 NFL Draft was the first stepping stone to what the draft is known, and how it is presented, today as this was the first year it was televised. From 1965 through 2014, New York City played host to the NFL draft and naturally — like most things in the Big Apple — grew in its popularity with fans and attendance, most notably when it moved to Radio City Music Hall in 2006.

It remained at Radio City Music Hall through 2014, when the NFL took the next step into what it is today: A traveling fan fest where NFL teams place bids to bring the draft to their respective city. The Chicago Bears were the first team to host the NFL draft in 2015 and it held it again in 2016. The Eagles hosted it in 2017 on the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum when a then-record setting 250,000 fans attended. Then the Dallas Cowboys hosted it inside AT&T Stadium in 2018 in front of over 200,000 fans across the three-day event. The NFL draft has gone to Nashville (2019), Cleveland (2021), Las Vegas (2022) and Kansas City (2023) over the last few years before arriving to Detroit for the first time in history this year. Note, the NFL draft did not take place in person in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Forbes, the 2019 draft in Nashville, Tennessee holds the record for attendance and economic impact across the three-day event at 600,000 and $132.8 million since the draft began to travel from NFL city to NFL city in 2015.

Much like the draft itself, operations wise the structure of it has evolved throughout the years. As noted by ESPN, the draft began with nine rounds in 1936 and grew to 10 rounds in 1937. Then two years later in 1939, it expanded to 20 rounds. In 1977, the draft saw its first scale down from 17 rounds to 12 rounds. Then in 1994 — when the NFL instituted the salary cap, which plays significant relevance to the draft itself as it denotes the slot value for each pick — it was once again reduced down to seven rounds, which is how long it remains still today.

2024 NFL Draft schedule

With the first round already in the books, here's the updated look at the schedule for the 2024 NFL Draft:

• Day 2 (Round 2-3): Friday, April 26 starting at 8 p.m. ET
• Day 3 (Round 4-7): Saturday, April 27 starting at 12 p.m. ET

Day 2 of the NFL draft will take place on Friday, April 26 at Campus Martius Park starting at 8 p.m. ET with rounds two and three. The 2024 NFL Draft will conclude on Saturday, April 27 with the final three rounds — four through seven — starting at 12 p.m. ET.

Both Day 2 and Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC and the NFL Network. You can also stream the coverage of both days on the ESPN app or on Fubo, which provides a free trial to select providers.

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Real Estate | A good sign for renters? Competition may not be…

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Subscriber only, real estate | a good sign for renters competition may not be as fierce as before in south florida.

While home prices continue to soar, the rental market may be cooling down in South Florida, providing renters much-needed relief.

The Miami-metropolitan area, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, saw the most significant decrease in the median cost of rent from the first part of 2023 to the first part of 2024, out of the 75 most populated metropolitan areas across the United States, according to a report by Forbes Advisor.

The region saw a decrease of $400 in the median rental price for Quarter One, which is typically January, February and March, compared to the same time frame last year.

The report also found the tri-county area to be among some of the least competitive rental markets in the nation of the 75 metros, a finding that differs from when the region received high rental competitiveness scores at the end of last year. At the time, real estate experts predicted renter relief in 2024 with inventory picking up, price stabilization and even how 2024 being an election year may lead to lower interest rates.

In its report, Forbes determined these findings through metrics including availability of units, price and population.

“With all these methods, we’re looking at how difficult it might be to find a rental that’s available,” said Alexandria Cremer, a senior digital public relations strategist at Forbes Advisor.

Typically, lower rental competitiveness indicates finding a rental would be easier than if the rental competitiveness of a region is quite high.

Todd Cohen, a principal with Lee & Associates South Florida, which handles real estate deals across the region, defined rental competitiveness as “the ability to drive rental growth.” This growth is influenced by factors such as inflation or demand for housing being higher than the supply to address it.

“The demand is still there and Florida still is a place people are seeking out to move, and it’s not just a retirement haven anymore,” he said.

Growth still abounds

Cremer said the report found the Miami-metro area to be the 11th least competitive rental market because of various factors: a median rental price decrease, as well as a lower-than-average prospective renters’ population and a slightly higher-than-average vacancy rate, which is the number of days an available unit remains on the market.

Cohen said he has not necessarily seen a dip in rental competitiveness because growth still abounds, and supply is working hard to keep up with that demand.

“A tremendous amount was developed when, during the pandemic heyday, interest rates were still super low,” he said.

Cohen’s beliefs coincide with a RentCafe report from March, which found the Miami area to be the most competitive rental market in the U.S. at the start of the year.

The factors drawing people, developers and companies to the area during and right after the COVID-19 pandemic still persist, Cohen said, but the market “has to take a breather.”

“I’m just seeing that things have gotten back to what they were prior to this just exponential skyrocketing of growth and rental growth,” he said. “Developers who didn’t have to give any concessions to lease up their properties are now giving maybe a month or two of free rent to get people in because people aren’t moving here every five seconds like they were.”

These concessions does not mean the market is unhealthy, though, Cohen said. The influx of development and new supply means “the market needs to digest.” This also may lead to more opportunities to choose from when looking for a new place to live.

“That’s how things work and that’s how you get people to notice your building, and you need to be competitive because you’re not the only show in town anymore,” he said.

Another trend working against supply catching up to demand is the use of short-term rental units, often used by vacationers.

A deep need for workforce and affordable housing still exists, he said, which has brought forth programs such as the Live Local Act, which offers incentives to developers to allocate portions of residential projects to workforce housing.

“We can expect that there are apartments coming online every month, new deliveries are made by developers,” he said. “There will be a push to have more affordable and workforce, and I think there already are some that have been green-lit and have already been started to be developed and I think more and more of those will come online, so that will help.”

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