Like live music, gay bars and Democrats? The New York Times thinks you’ll like New Orleans – NOLA.com

We’ve long known that many people move to New Orleans for its food, music and culture, and stay away for a host of other reasons. Now the New York Times is letting readers figure out what cities might make sense for them with a methodology-backed quiz.

The New York Times’ quiz tells readers which of 17,000 places in the United States best suits them, based on data compiled for everything from housing prices to religious affiliation.

Users select different attributes related to an area’s politics, climate, demographics, weather, jobs, commute and health care, among other items. Someone who prizes schools, low crime and more space for their money is a 100% match for Greenwood, Arkansas, population 9,387, while a person in the market for mountains, live music and low climate risks is a 97% match for Las Vegas, population 634,773.

So how do you get The New York Times to recommend you live in New Orleans?

Without going through every permutation, there were a few (fairly obvious) clicks that could move New Orleans up the rankings. For instance, clicking that you care about live music, gay bars, space for money, less snow, a large Black population, warm winters, Democrats and restaurants yields a 93% match with the Crescent City.

But if you select good schools, a short commute, more space for your money and low climate risks, you get a 93% match with Lincoln, Nebraska.

The New York Times also assigned each state an average overall score based on how it ranked on metrics including crime, schools, commutes and jobs. With a 4.8 score on a 10-point scale, Louisiana is tied with South Carolina for third-to-last place. (Only West Virginia and Mississippi ranked lower, and California sat in first place with a 6.5 score.) However, New York Times editors admit the quiz does reflect their own biases.

Do you belong in New Orleans? Take the quiz and find out.

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