From time to time, the COURIER likes to take the temperature of the city. After all, we are a newspaper dedicated to informing and entertaining the residents in the City of Trees.

If you want to understand someone, it helps to know what they like. Where does the average Claremonter like to grab a bite to eat? What professionals do they trust? Where do they spend their free time?

That’s where our semi-annual Best of the Best publication comes in. Some weeks ago, we created a poll with a range of categories, asking for readers to weigh in on their favorites. Some of you mailed the printed version of the poll, which appeared in the pages of the COURIER, to our office. Others visited www.claremont-courier.com to take the poll online. We thank you for your enthusiastic participation.

Here are the results. Some answers came as little surprise, such as Claremont’s favorite park. Other answers, like the city’s favorite new business, surprised us. All of the answers you provided to our poll are printed here, with the exception of a few questions that yielded little to no response.

We hope our readers’ interest may be piqued to try something new on the advice of their neighbors. And as for the business owners and entrepreneurs who nabbed a first or second place, we extend our congratulations. After all, it’s no small feat to be Best of the Best in a town like Claremont.