Overview
The natural amenities scale is a measure of the physical
characteristics of a county area that enhance the location as a
place to live. The scale was constructed by combining six measures
of climate, topography, and water area that reflect environmental
qualities most people prefer. These measures are warm winter,
winter sun, temperate summer, low summer humidity, topographic
variation, and water area. The data are available for counties in
the lower 48 States. The file contains the original measures and
standardized scores for each county as well as the amenities
scale.
![Amenity map](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130225155750im_/http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/179053/amenities_500x404.jpg)