Easy Cheese Factorys Are in What State

Americans have a fondue-ness for cheese — whether layered on pizza, smothered over nachos, or laid temptingly on a charcuterie board.

But cheese love isn't spread evenly across this vast country, so what are 2022's Best Cities for Cheese Lovers?

To mark National Cheese Lover's Day on Jan. 20, LawnStarter compared over 180 of the biggest U.S. cities based on cheese access, quality, and affordability, as well as local events.

Find out which cities took the cheddar in our ranking below, followed by some highlights, lowlights, and not-so-cheesy expert insights.

Table of Contents

1. City Rankings
2. Highlights and Lowlights
3. Ask the Experts
4. Methodology

City Rankings

See how each city fared in our ranking:

OVERALL RANK	City	Overall Score	Access Rank	Quality Rank	Affordability Rank	Community Rank
1	Chicago, IL	50.91	5	2	93	36
2	Modesto, CA	42.62	24	1	34	51
3	San Francisco, CA	41.54	2	25	167	3
4	Jersey City, NJ	40.63	3	25	86	2
5	New York, NY	40.31	9	24	156	1
6	Boston, MA	40.2	1	25	157	22
7	Madison, WI	35.98	8	12	74	11
8	Los Angeles, CA	35.82	6	12	127	15
9	Washington, DC	33.82	4	25	112	20
10	Milwaukee, WI	31.99	21	6	43	41
11	Santa Rosa, CA	31.73	10	7	176	39
12	Atlanta, GA	30.68	11	9	68	31
13	Glendale, CA	29.97	17	12	151	10
14	Buffalo, NY	29.8	64	3	85	70
15	Long Beach, CA	28.33	15	12	105	23
16	Paterson, NJ	27.76	14	25	131	14
17	Alexandria, VA	26.75	7	25	179	21
18	Philadelphia, PA	25.78	30	25	54	8
19	Aurora, IL	25.5	121	4	9	66
20	Pomona, CA	25.48	19	12	53	62
21	Pasadena, CA	25.07	16	12	168	55
22	Naperville, IL	24.74	112	4	74	67
23	Miami, FL	24.58	33	25	116	9
24	Portland, OR	24.48	12	25	136	71
25	Seattle, WA	24.23	13	25	173	25
26	Torrance, CA	23.8	22	12	127	44
27	Minneapolis, MN	22.91	18	25	78	40
28	Lancaster, CA	22.87	40	12	12	76
29	Kansas City, MO	22.78	35	9	47	111
30	Palmdale, CA	22.03	41	12	48	56
30	Dallas, TX	22.03	27	25	25	27
32	Austin, TX	21.91	59	25	110	4
33	Hayward, CA	21.89	62	25	21	6
34	Providence, RI	20.97	34	23	129	47
35	Hollywood, FL	20.61	39	25	3	77
36	Louisville, KY	20.5	20	25	113	122
37	Santa Clarita, CA	20.43	38	12	151	75
38	Orlando, FL	20.03	37	25	63	38
39	Hialeah, FL	19.98	29	25	48	80
40	Arlington, VA	19.33	32	25	150	24
41	Colorado Springs, CO	19.32	28	25	93	98
42	Pittsburgh, PA	18.98	25	25	145	88
42	Baltimore, MD	18.98	51	25	63	19
44	Indianapolis, IN	18.96	65	9	19	109
45	Cleveland, OH	18.8	36	25	56	95
46	Santa Ana, CA	18.45	91	25	139	7
47	Cincinnati, OH	18.41	31	25	109	101
48	Fort Lauderdale, FL	18.34	42	25	91	58
49	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	17.31	47	25	40	64
50	Fresno, CA	17.3	43	25	36	159
51	Garland, TX	17.12	49	25	17	83
52	Bellevue, WA	17.08	26	25	173	116
53	Irvine, CA	17.05	134	25	125	5
54	Las Vegas, NV	16.72	44	25	115	93
55	San Diego, CA	16.48	53	25	119	26
56	Charlotte, NC	16.47	66	25	22	37
57	Newark, NJ	16.27	78	25	153	13
58	Anaheim, CA	16.17	67	25	40	34
59	Springfield, MA	16.14	145	7	170	54
60	Norfolk, VA	16.13	52	25	60	78
61	Oakland, CA	15.98	23	25	180	49
62	Houston, TX	15.9	68	25	69	28
63	Richmond, VA	15.84	50	25	100	81
64	Dayton, OH	15.66	71	25	5	96
65	Plano, TX	15.44	58	25	98	52
66	Gilbert, AZ	15.3	76	25	2	107
67	Grand Rapids, MI	15.24	45	25	137	117
68	Bridgeport, CT	15.07	110	25	111	17
69	Tampa, FL	14.97	77	25	149	18
70	New Orleans, LA	14.71	46	25	131	151
71	Akron, OH	14.7	70	25	18	105
72	Tulsa, OK	14.58	60	25	39	130
73	Salt Lake City, UT	14.47	63	25	52	103
74	Worcester, MA	14.38	90	25	76	32
75	St. Louis, MO	14.37	55	25	83	147
76	Cape Coral, FL	14.35	93	25	4	108
77	Mobile, AL	14.21	150	25	123	12
78	Fremont, CA	14.15	81	25	84	50
79	San Jose, CA	14.13	96	25	88	29
80	Chandler, AZ	14.12	88	25	5	136
81	Pembroke Pines, FL	14.05	80	25	48	74
82	Eugene, OR	14.02	48	25	143	165
83	Boise, ID	13.98	57	25	91	157
84	St. Petersburg, FL	13.88	69	25	134	60
85	Columbus, OH	13.85	56	25	120	127
86	Denver, CO	13.49	75	25	160	30
87	Frisco, TX	13.29	86	25	70	87
88	Irving, TX	13.27	118	25	8	84
89	Fort Wayne, IN	13.12	73	25	70	148
90	San Antonio, TX	13.08	97	25	79	72
91	Rochester, NY	13.07	54	25	169	100
92	Fort Worth, TX	13.03	100	25	58	86
93	Glendale, AZ	12.93	87	25	28	144
94	Winston-Salem, NC	12.9	154	12	56	118
95	Fontana, CA	12.85	101	25	105	65
96	Yonkers, NY	12.83	174	25	100	16
97	Phoenix, AZ	12.74	106	25	96	57
98	Raleigh, NC	12.6	128	25	16	73
98	Des Moines, IA	12.6	61	25	142	160
100	Nashville, TN	12.54	72	25	124	132
101	San Bernardino, CA	12.44	101	25	130	63
102	Murfreesboro, TN	12.39	92	25	70	124
103	Spokane, WA	12.37	84	25	66	166
104	Wichita, KS	12.35	107	25	15	170
105	Tempe, AZ	12.34	79	25	100	139
106	Peoria, AZ	12.28	82	25	96	141
107	McKinney, TX	12.24	113	25	98	68
108	Albuquerque, NM	12.21	98	25	63	128
109	Mesa, AZ	12.06	119	25	28	110
110	Fort Collins, CO	12.04	74	25	159	97
111	St. Paul, MN	11.91	111	25	51	123
112	Knoxville, TN	11.85	94	25	88	153
113	Huntington Beach, CA	11.8	114	25	148	43
114	Baton Rouge, LA	11.63	89	25	117	149
115	Omaha, NE	11.6	85	25	121	162
116	Detroit, MI	11.53	116	25	67	121
117	Sunnyvale, CA	11.49	95	25	171	53
118	Shreveport, LA	11.48	125	25	12	160
119	Tallahassee, FL	11.46	103	25	103	146
120	Springfield, MO	11.35	122	25	20	169
121	Corona, CA	11.28	132	25	138	42
122	Henderson, NV	11.19	140	25	26	112
123	Arlington, TX	11.1	141	25	58	84
124	Chesapeake, VA	11.09	169	25	1	134
125	Lubbock, TX	11.08	137	25	10	177
126	Chattanooga, TN	11.07	123	25	70	114
127	Sacramento, CA	10.99	124	25	161	33
128	Toledo, OH	10.98	138	25	35	118
129	Huntsville, AL	10.96	99	25	145	125
130	Greensboro, NC	10.86	126	25	77	115
131	Tacoma, WA	10.81	109	25	140	120
132	Augusta, GA	10.79	133	25	33	155
133	Overland Park, KS	10.77	136	25	37	142
134	Corpus Christi, TX	10.73	129	25	38	173
135	Montgomery, AL	10.72	160	25	7	145
136	Jacksonville, FL	10.68	131	25	54	131
136	Oklahoma City, OK	10.68	127	25	45	164
138	Escondido, CA	10.62	108	25	172	59
139	Garden Grove, CA	10.6	158	25	105	48
140	Macon, GA	10.59	135	25	117	82
141	Columbus, GA	10.39	167	25	11	126
142	Lexington, KY	10.31	147	25	28	136
143	Port St. Lucie, FL	10.29	162	25	42	94
144	Chula Vista, CA	10.26	174	25	27	90
145	Syracuse, NY	10.25	120	25	125	150
146	Sioux Falls, SD	10.22	117	25	121	167
147	Memphis, TN	10.09	152	25	24	156
148	Virginia Beach, VA	10.07	142	25	60	138
149	Oceanside, CA	10.06	174	25	158	45
150	Bakersfield, CA	10.01	146	25	44	154
151	Newport News, VA	10	151	25	62	113
152	Scottsdale, AZ	9.97	83	25	178	92
153	Birmingham, AL	9.96	148	25	45	139
154	Savannah, GA	9.94	104	25	165	152
155	Cary, NC	9.83	155	25	79	106
156	McAllen, TX	9.72	172	25	14	175
157	Durham, NC	9.71	115	25	155	133
158	Riverside, CA	9.66	130	25	175	46
159	Killeen, TX	9.51	171	25	79	99
160	Fayetteville, NC	9.39	170	25	105	89
161	Reno, NV	9.31	168	25	95	102
162	Salem, OR	9.29	157	25	114	104
163	Midland, TX	9.28	174	25	22	179
163	Rockford, IL	9.28	144	25	164	61
165	Brownsville, TX	9.16	174	25	28	175
165	Tucson, AZ	9.16	149	25	88	158
167	Laredo, TX	9.15	174	25	28	180
168	Stockton, CA	9.09	174	25	162	35
168	Clarksville, TN	9.09	165	25	82	135
170	Aurora, CO	8.99	161	25	134	91
171	Little Rock, AR	8.7	163	25	87	170
172	Honolulu, HI	8.53	105	25	177	168
173	El Paso, TX	8.39	166	25	104	172
174	Vancouver, WA	8.32	156	25	144	129
175	Kansas City, KS	8.24	164	25	133	142
176	Jackson, MS	8.13	153	25	141	174
177	Lincoln, NE	8.09	143	25	153	163
178	Oxnard, CA	7.96	174	25	166	79
179	Amarillo, TX	7.68	159	25	145	180
180	Anchorage, AK	6.85	173	25	162	177
181	Salinas, CA	2.79	139	25	181	69

Note: We ranked 181 cities on each metric. However, the ranking positions for some metrics above may be lower than 181 due to a significant number of ties.

Highlights and Lowlights

Chicago: The Windy Cheesy City

Sing the praises of Chicago's deep-dish pizza all you want, but once you've sampled local Chi-Town cheese outside the pie, you'll be chanting "Cheeses, Take the Wheel" instead. That's because The Windy City has earned a new nickname as The Cheesiest City in America.

Oozing with high-quality queso and melting locals' hearts with an abundance of cheesy events, Chicago is a true cheese lover's paradise.

California Cheesin' or Meltin'?

Three Golden State cities managed to find their way to our top 10: Modesto at No. 2, followed by San Francisco in third place and Los Angeles in eighth. Zoom out, and you'll find four other California cities in our top 20. This "grate" performance is no surprise when considering California is the second biggest producer of cheese among the states.

But not everything that glitters is gold in the Golden State. Salinas finished last in our ranking, with Oxnard not far behind at No. 178. While these two cities offer plenty of cheesy events to entertain locals, regular access to high-quality cheese is lacking.

Gouda News for Wisconsin

No ranking of cheese heavens passes a "good taste" test without at least one city from America's Dairyland in the top 10. And we're happy to report that both Wisconsin cities in our ranking form part of that elite group: Madison finished seventh, while Milwaukee placed 10th, thanks to high marks across the charcuterie board.

Green Bay didn't make our cut because of its size, but if you're a true Cheesehead, you know the city and state are packed with fans of the dairy products. Wisconsin is by far the largest manufacturer of cheese, producing more than a quarter of all of America's cheese. It even beats out much larger states like California and Texas.

Not-So-Modest Queso in Modesto

Wisconsin might produce the most cheese of any state, but one Central California city's winning strategy is quality over quantity.

Modesto, located 92 miles east of San Francisco, took the top spot in our Quality category, helping the city rise to second place overall. In fact, Modesto's local cheese producers bagged more U.S. Championship Cheese Contest awards in 2019 — the most recent competition — than those of the other 180 cities in our ranking.

Ask The Experts

If there's one thing uniting Americans during the pandemic, it's our mutual love for cheese. We asked a panel of experts for their advice and insight on all kinds of cheesy matters. Read what they had to say below.

• The U.S. ranks second in the world in terms of cheese consumption. Where does America's love of cheese come from?

• Why is cheese especially popular during the pandemic?

• What's the best way for cheese lovers to indulge themselves without breaking the bank or their diets?

• What are your three best tips for budding cheese connoisseurs?

Methodology

We ranked 181 of the biggest U.S. cities from best (No. 1) to worst (No. 181) based on their overall scores (out of 100 possible points), averaged across all the weighted metrics listed below.

Sources: Cheese Market News, Dairy Foods, Everfest, Meetup, Numbeo, TripAdvisor, U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Yelp

Main Photo Credit: PxHere

Staff Writer

hernandezhatimor.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-cities-for-cheese-lovers/

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