Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm going to limit this to cities I have a lot of experience with that come to mind:
Fresno,CA- The only good thing about this city is it's proximity to the Sierra Nevada--but there are other much nicer places to live in California that have the same location close to the mountains. Downtown Fresno is basically an anarchronism when you realize there are cities 5-7 times smaller than it on the East Coast with more impressive skylines. Other than that it's a sprawling mess of paved over farmland, that gets to about 105 F in the summer. And I have relatives there that I never visit, sadly...
Bakersfield,CA-See Fresno Stockton,CA-See Fresno and Bakersfield; Just more ghetto San Bernadino,CA-See Fresno, Bakersfield, and Stockton---with more smog.
Salem,OR-Nicknamed "SoLame" by people who I know who actually grew up there--this town is in a neck and neck competition with Carson City, NV for most boring state capital in the West. Downtown is completely dead--there's maybe one or two decent bars and one of those has last call at midnight. Other than that your options are low-rent strip clubs in the midst of suburban sprawl. It makes me yawn just thinking about Salem...
1. Oklahoma City
2. Birmingham
3. Jacksonville
4. Charlotte
5. Detroit
Oklahoma City & Jacksonville - I found myself really bored in these two cities. There are certainly some attractions to keep you busy for a day or two, but there is very little going on in the city to keep you entertained on a day to day basis. Nightlife is also quite limited in both of these cities. Also, Oklahoma City had a very unspectacular setting. Jacksonville is at least by the ocean which is nice. The only redeeming quality for Oklahoma City is that it's not isolated, being a 3 hour drive from Dallas which has a lot going on.
Birmingham - It's not by any means a bad place. It does have an interesting history, a beautiful natural setting, and a friendly atmosphere that makes the area an attractive place for families. I enjoyed my visit there, but the area is rather slow placed and has very little going on, so it just wouldn't be a good fit for a single young professional such as myself.
Charlotte - The city offers some big city amenities and has a nice natural setting, but I found the city to be largely lifeless and void of any good nightlife. It's a good city if you want to slow down, but one of the worst large cities I've been to for people who want excitement and energy. Like Birmingham, I can see it being a good place for families, but not at all a good place for single young professionals.
Detroit - There are many things I like about Detroit and it's definitely one of the most interesting places to visit. However, the fact that it is by far the most noticeably decaying big city in the US makes the thought of living there depressing. I would love to see the city bounce back someday though because there are so many great gems within the city.
1. D.C.--been there, done that, no thanks
2-5. Take your pick of any hot and humid places, especially in the South. Southern culture and Southern weather are both turnoffs for me.
1) Atlanta: Sprawl, sick traffic, horrific weather, only a handful of parks, full of pretentious $30k millionaires, racial undertones. (I was trying to be the least harsh as possible)
2) Orlando: Blah. That is all.
3) Houston: Again, not my preferred climate.
4) Phoenix: Desert heat.
5) Westchester County, NY: Rather just live in NYC and save the hassle.
Overall, there aren't many places I don't care for.
I could live anywhere as long as I have a good, interesting job. I can make friends anywhere too. I'm not so arrogant as to say "never" to any city (and its funny to see such heated opinions of my hometown).
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
5,429 posts, read 14,773,562 times
Reputation: 3672
Quote:
Originally Posted by maxposure
Houston - ugliest city in America, mostly rundown, uninteresting, only reason to visit is for a business meeting and nothing else
Seattle - ugliest people in America, dismal, dreary, depressing, social misfits, fleece everywhere, chilly year-round (still drops into the 50's at night during summer), provincial
San Antonio - Riverwalk is overrated and awful, and nothing else to see and do(one horse town), tired looking, small-town, boring
You are SO off-base... not surprising, as you've often bashed some of these places before and seemed to not be very knowledgable on them when probed for specifics (especially on Houston.)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
