Report: Sacramento Fourth Most Hipster U.S. City

Sacramento comes in fourth on a new list of the "most hipster" cities in the United States.

Sonya Sorich with the Sacramento Business Journal says the ranking came from a Nebraska-based data provider called Infogroup.

"[Infogroup] decided to look at the presence of various businesses in large cities throughout the U.S.," says Sorich. "And Sacramento is actually the highest ranking California city on the list."

Businesses defined as "hipster friendly" that were part of the study include thrift stores, locally-owned coffee shops and record stores aimed at younger consumers.

The study reveals that more than 30 percent of area businesses that Sacramentans are interested in are thrift shops. Independent coffee shops are next on the list at 16 percent.

Sina Soltani owns Lost Treasures Thrift Shop in Sacramento. He says people in Sacramento, especially young folks in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties, get creative with vintage collectable items they buy at thrift shops.

“Young people nowadays collect and modify them and amazing things come out of it,” says Soltani.

He mentioned a customer recently bought a horse saddle that he later used as decor at a bar. Other customers have bought old records and used them as hanging lamps. Someone bought a bike rim and turned it into a chandelier he says.

According to the study, Sacramento isn’t yet perceived as “too mainstream” and “regular hipsters can feel at home and pay less in rent than their San Francisco friends.”

San Francisco is ranked nine on the list. Seattle takes the top spot, followed by Portland, Denver, Sacramento and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Here's the top 10.

1. Seattle, Wash.
2. Portland, Ore.
3. Denver, Colo.
4. Sacramento, Calif.
5. Grand Rapids, Mich.
6. San Diego, Calif.
7. Providence, R.I.
8. Pittsburgh, Penn.
9. San Francisco, Calif.
10. Rochester, N.Y.

Urban dictionary has this definition of 'hipster':

"Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter....

...Although "hipsterism" is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses...

....Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons, and are usually too "edgy" for the culturally-sheltered mainstream consumer. The "effortless cool" urban bohemian look of a hipster is exemplified in Urban Outfitters and American Apparel ads, which cater towards the hipster demographic."