September issue of National Geographic Adventure Magazine Click photo for larger image. Related coverage: Region among Top 10 places for firms to relocate

What does Pittsburgh have in common with Durango, Colo.; Austin, Texas; St. Johnsbury, Vt.; and Pismo Beach, Calif.?

According to the September issue of National Geographic Adventure Magazine, they're all considered "the best adventure towns to live and play in."

OK, so we may not be located in the Rocky Mountains or along the Pacific's craggy coast, but we really are an outdoorsy kind of place, according to the magazine's editors, who praise the city's beauty, cultural amenities, career opportunities and re-invention from a sooty industrial center to one that "better reflects the surrounding Allegheny Mountains."

"You've always had a strong tradition of outdoor sporting, fishing, hunting and kayaking in that part of Pennsylvania," said National Geographic Adventure's associate editor Mark Kirby, a native of York in the eastern part of the state.

The magazine lists 30 "action packed" locales divided into five categories, "where the real estate's within reach and the thrills start just beyond your back door."

Pittsburgh ranks at the top of the "urban adventurer" list, while Durango tops the "wilderness savant" category; Austin is best for "cultured explorers"; St. Johnsbury for "small town dreamers"; and Pismo Beach -- halfway between San Francisco and San Diego -- for "ocean addicts."

"I admit I was initially skeptical" about including Pittsburgh on the magazine's list, added Mr. Kirby, "but the reporter on the story kept producing convincing examples of really good outdoor experiences," from the region's extensive network of trails to white water rafting on the Youghiogheny.

Author Dan Koeppel, who lives in Los Angeles, said he first became aware of Pittsburgh's charms when he wrote a profile of the city for Travel Holiday magazine in 2002, extolling its lively museum and restaurant scene.

"I just fell in love with the place. I just had the best time I'd ever had on a domestic assignment, " he said, noting that as a mountain-biking enthusiast, he explored the trails in Forbes State Forest in the Laurel Highlands.

One of the nation's premier mountain biking magazines, Dirt Rag, is based in Pittsburgh, he added, "which should tell you something."

Because it's the "urban adventurer" category, the magazine's story on Pittsburgh doesn't just focus on hiking and biking, but on quality of life, too, praising the city's neighborhoods -- from "artist-filled" Oakland to The Strip, "Pittsburgh's answer to SoHo" -- as well as the proliferation of high-tech companies and low housing prices.

The magazine also singles out Venture Outdoors (www.ventureoutdoors.org), a nonprofit that promotes local recreation and serves as a clearinghouse for the region's outdoors community.

"This sort of integration into the natural setting is precisely what makes a top-notch adventure city," writes Mr. Koeppel, "and, in achieving it, Pittsburgh has become a place where residents can be serious both about their careers and their outdoors."

Still, when asked if he'd ever live here, Mr. Koeppel admitted he'd choose one of the "runner-up" cities listed as ideal for the urban adventurer: Las Vegas.

While that city's cultural life might strike some as more depraved than dignified, for outdoor enthusiasts it's irresistible, being close to Red Rock Canyon and a mere three hours from such world-renowned outdoor wonders as Zion National Park.

Plus, there's Las Vegas' great winter climate, which Pittsburgh will never match.

"I'm just not a big winter person," Mr. Koeppel confessed. "But your housing is a lot cheaper."

---

Correction/Clarification: (Published Aug. 17, 2006) This story about Pittsburgh's outdoor recreational opportunities as originally published misidentified the Web site of a local nonprofit. The correct address is www.ventureoutdoors.org.