We’ve always known it, but it seems now the rest of the country is in on the secret. Redlands is one of the best places there is to live.

This month, the City of Redlands was named one of the Top 100 Best Places to Live by Livability.com, a national website that ranks quality of life amenities of America’s small and mid-sized cities.

Livability.com produces monthly lists of the top college towns, foodie towns, spring break destinations and others. But this is the first year that the website has produced a list of the Best Places to Live and Redlands made the list right out of the gate.

To produce its inaugural list of Top 100 Best Places to Live, Livability.com partnered with Richard Florida’s Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank specializing on the role of location, place, and city-regions in global economic prosperity, to conduct a months-long study of more than 1,700 U.S. cities and the factors that make them the best places to live, work and play.

The data collected for the ranking were weighted based on an exclusive survey conducted for Livability by Ipsos Public Affairs, a leading global market research firm. Respondents were asked about factors that make their communities better places to live, as well as the factors they would consider in selecting another city. Those factors were narrowed down to eight categories – economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and healthcare – that were used to determine each city’s LivScore.

Livability also used data from Esri to measure things like crime, voter participation, the amount of time people spend partaking in community activities and church membership. Cities with low crime and high involvement scored best. The average score across all the cities measured was 49.

Redlands ranked high for education and demographics.

See the entire list at Livability.com/top-100-best-places-to-live.

Look we all know the holidays have not only arrived too soon but they got here on the tail of a meteor and it slammed right smack dab into our lives unannounced!  I’m convinced that we skipped a month or two this year I just haven’t figured out which ones.  I keep asking my friends at the PD to put out an APB or BOLO or WDIG to assist in recovering the time that will help to de-stress  the situation at hand but alas it seems there are higher priorities.

So we at the Chamber have come up with the next best thing – the answer to de-stressing !

It’s FUN! The fun we have on tap is the 5K NIGHT LIGHT RUN, Saturday, December 14, 6 PM in Downtown Redlands.

It’s absolutely impossible not to enjoy yourself, your friends, your family and even strangers when you are totally decked out in neon gear, glowing with LED lights, glow sticks, bracelets head gear and face paint. You can’t worry about what you haven’t baked, bought, wrapped, mailed, mulled or brined there is just no way.

And the best part, you don’t even have to RUN, no sir, you can walk, skip, stroll, meander, push the kids in strollers, or pull them in wagons. If you really want to run I suppose you can but sadly the fun would be over way to fast so I recommend you just don’t do it!

The light show at the start/finish line will be will dazzle the senses. The music will be positively rocking, guaranteed to get the juices flowing so we really will be able to make it through the “season”. And when the run is over you can join the revelers and visit the local downtown businesses to recap every step of the race, show off your original couture and discuss how ridiculous the guy at the next table looks.

Be a part of the fun, register on line a www:redlandschambernightlightrun.com or stop by the chamber office and register in person and get an early bird, smart person discount.

We’ll get you started on your race outfit by providing a T-shirt necklace, bracelet and ears or glasses, the rest is only limited by your own imagination.

For more information log on to www:redlandschambernightlightrun.com or call the chamber office at 793-2546.

It has been a year to remember, a year of extraordinary celebrations, souvenirs and keepsakes; of special events and once in a life time memories. We need to extend a great big thank you to Mayor Pro Tem Paul Foster and his team of gladiators who served on the 125^th Anniversary Committee for making it a spectacular year for those of us in Redlands. While a typical year in Redlands is bursting with events and activities, this year was aglow as each organization embraced the City’s anniversary and added to the celebration. Every affair was a little more brilliant, a little more dazzling because it was the 125^th Anniversary and of course there was the ever present anniversary seal that reminded us all we in Redlands have something to be very proud of, we are 125 years old!

With the generous support of sponsors including the Kiwanis Club of Redlands (Noon), the University of Redlands, Eadie and Payne, LLP; Jean Showalter, State Farm Insurance; L&L Environmental Inc., Gary T. Wuchnich DDS MS; Rotary Club of Redlands; and Arrowhead Orthopedics, the city was blanketed with banners, posters and accessories announcing the next event, activity or project.

One of the most remarkable undertakings of the entire community in honor of the 125^th celebration was to “build a park in a day” and it happened on April 27 when more than 2000 community volunteers arrived at the corner of Nevada and Orange Streets at the crack of dawn. By days end Redlands had a brand new park to add to its inventory that includes 18 acres of trails, an amphitheater, a Native American “village,” an ethno-botanical and water-conservation demonstration garden, a Zanja reconstruction area, an archeological dig, a vineyard, a replicated water wheel and a citrus grove, truly an amazing achievement all in a day.

The committee, Linda Apmadac, Carole Beswick, Char Burgess, Kyle Cummings, Jennifer Dobbs, Bill Hatfield, Marvin Hudson, Rose Palmer, Myra Patterson, Mario Saucedo, Shelli Stockton, Nelda Stuck and Neal Waner are all to be congratulated on an outstanding job. Their creativity, time, effort and devotion have paid off. Our sincere thanks to all of them and their leader, Paul Foster, for taking on the challenge and exceeding expectations.  From parades to dinners, from original musical productions to merchant participation, to the pride we all feel when we tell others that we are from Redlands, this city continually proves to be an outstanding community and the 125^th Anniversary Celebration has reminded us just how amazing Redlands is.  This is one anniversary we will never forget!

Dhat Island was created as a corporate catering service called Islands in 1986. With most of their flavors and dishes being unique, their guests began to refer to their items as “that chicken, “that rice” or “that soup.” and so it was only befitting that they change their corporate name to “Dhat Island.” Eventually they opened the first Dhat Island restaurant in Redlands, CA. and the response was overwhelming. It is their hope to open several other locations throughout California.

Angela Alce is owner, Creative Director and Chef of the unique restaurant, located at509 N. Eureka St. in downtown Redlands.  She was born in Ohio but moved to California where she attended college. After college she worked at Club Med in Eluethra, Bahamas as a costumier. Although her degree is in apparel design, she always had a love for the arts in general. While in the Caribbean, she became engaged in different types of arts including Caribbean cuisine. When she returned to the states, she married her husband whose family is from Haiti. She quickly learned the secrets of Creole, Caribbean cuisine techniques from his mother.

During the past 30 years, she has combined her southern cooking traditions along with Caribbean cuisine and created a delightful fusion. In her kitchen her title is Creative Director, as she combines visual arts and her cuisine heritage in every dish presented. She invites every guest to take a “Daycation” when they visit Dhat Island.

Dhat Island offers and extensive menu serving Caribbean Creole Cuisine, that includes extraordinary offerings like Seasoned Beignets, Salmon Caesar Salad, Pumpkin Soup, Seafood Gumbo, Creole Chop or Curry Goat to just to name a few. A trip to Dhat Island is a gift to senses. When you can’t get to the Caribbean let Dhat Island bring the Caribbean to you.

Parking for the restaurant is located at the north-west corner of Pearl and Eureka Streets. For and Island get-away, lunch is served 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday, dinner is served, 5:00 – 9:– PM, on Sundays, 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM, closed Mondays.  Catering is available and special events are always in the queue.

For more information about Dhat Island, the menu, catering, Sunday Feast or more, log onto www.dhatisland.com or call 792-1717 or like Angela says “You deserve a Daycation today head to Dhat Island.”