About a year ago, Forbes magazine deemed Silver Lake as the “Best Hipster Neighborhood” in the entire United States. Yesterday, Money magazine upped the ante and claimed that Silver Lake is one of the country's best big-city neighborhoods, period. No “hipster” label attached.

With that kind of high-end praise coming from Forbes and Money, it may not be so surprising that El Conquistador, the longtime Silver Lake restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, is closing down due to a massive rent hike. Here's what Money had to say…

The magazine conducted a search to find America's “Best Big-City Neighborhoods” as part of its “Best Places to Live” series. Reporters looked at data from NeighborhoodScout.com and visited a bunch of locales. Silver Lake landed in the top 10.

Money singled out the Silver Lake reservoir, Sunset Boulevard, and the area north of Sunset Boulevard as prime reasons for the “Best Big-City Neighborhood” designation.

“Close to 4,200-acre Griffith Park,” the magazine states, “this area has blossomed in recent years, becoming a haven for families as well as the hipsters who first popularized it. The stretch of Sunset Boulevard that runs through Silver Lake is packed with shops and hotspots, defying the 'no walking in L.A.' cliche.”

Depending on who you talk to, Silver Lakers will either embrace the latest honor as further evidence that, yes, of course, Silver Lake is the best, or point to it as proof that the neighborhood is changing into something that's pricey and unwanted compared to the Good Ol' Days.

The latter may explain why certain folks are leaving or bypassing Silver Lake and moving to Highland Park.

The only negative about Silver Lake, writes Money, is that the housing market has become “fiercely competitive.”

Indeed.

In its analysis, the magazine appears to ignore the section of Silver Lake that's south of Sunset Boulevard, which is becoming more pricey but is still inhabited by low-income residents, especially near the 101 freeway.

Silver Lake stands with top 10 neighborhoods Park Slope in Brooklyn, Lakeview in Chicago, Houston Heights in Houston, and Willow Glen in San Jose, among a few others. No other neighborhood in L.A. got a nod from Money.

Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Patrick Range McDonald on Twitter at @PRMcDonald.

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