The Best (And Worst) Cities To Meet Men
Posted by: Wendy Atterberry
Filed in:
guys
9:19AM, Thursday October 22nd 2009
If you’re single and looking for a great guy, how many times have you cursed the city you live in for its lack of eligible bachelors? Maybe you’ve even contemplated moving somewhere else where the pickins are a bit more favorable. Luckily, The Daily Beast has taken all the guess work out of where your next home should be. They searched cities around the country and found the best (and worst) spots to meet men. Measuring cities with populations of at least 500,000, they ruled out suburbs (too many married men) and focused “primarily on which places had the highest numbers of eligible men, percentage-wise.” They also “gave credit to cities with the highest percentage of single men with four-year college degrees,” as well as those with the most places to meet men per capita, including gyms, bars, restaurants, clubs, and theaters (what, no dog parks??). In total, 36 cities were included in the “very scientific” study. After the jump, check out the top ten best and the top ten worst.
The Best
1. Atlanta
Whether it’s the southern hospitality or the sub-tropical breezes, something about Atlanta is attracting all the right men.2. Boston
With over 50 institutions of higher learning in the Boston area, the city has always been an ideal destination for the young and upwardly mobile.3. Seattle
Microsoft, Boeing, and other tech companies that have sprung up around Seattle draw thousands of smart, educated guys from all over the world.4. San Francisco
With those smarty-pants from Google and Facebook buzzing around on their scooters, intelligent guys with great careers are plentiful in San Francisco.5. Minneapolis-St. Paul
The Land of 10,000 Lakes might safely be renamed the Land of 10,000 Dates.6. Washington, DC
A city that’s all about networking unwinds at some of the best happy hours in the country, and unlike its hipper neighbor New York, people actually have time for a social life.7. Austin
An exuberant nightlife, year-round festivals, and thousands of U.T. undergrads make the state capital a haven for art and tech lovers alike.8. Miami
What it lacks in educated men (it ranked 24th in number of bachelors degrees) Miami makes up for in gyms and social life, coming in at #2 and #1, respectively.9. San Diego
Like Miami’s beach bunnies, San Diegans tend to have great tans, great hair, great bodies, and because of the city’s high cost of living, lucrative jobs.10. Denver
A growing arts district, top-notch microbreweries, and the nearby Rocky Mountains make the city scenic, fun, and appealing to outdoorsy singles.
OK, a summary: Boston’s got the yuppies; Seattle and SF have geeks; DC boys like to drink; Denver boys like to drink and hike; and the guys in Miami and San Diego have hot bods.
The Worst
27. San Jose
Compared to its more cosmopolitan sister city to the north, San Francisco, the geekier San Jose has a hard time hosting singles who want to mingle.28. Indianapolis
The Indianapolis 500 might as well refer to the number of eligible men left in this city.29. Memphis
You’re more likely to find a good BBQ joint here than a guy with washboard abs.30. Las Vegas
All those wedding chapels must be for out-of-towners—for singles unfortunate enough to live in Sin City, good luck getting hitched.31. Albuquerque
This sleepy southwestern town has Native American folklore and petroglyphs, but slim pickings for social life.32. Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma Christian University lists Krispy Kreme as one of 76 places to take your date in Oklahoma City. Another suggestion: Sam’s Club, for the free samples.33. Louisville
Situated in the heart of the Bible Belt, most of the men here are already taken.34. San Antonio
So unless there’s a convention in town (and there usually is) the options in this city can be few and far between.35. Jacksonville, FL
This is the city that never seems to end, sprawling for nearly 900 square miles. Despite all that space, Jacksonville has hardly any single guys.36. El Paso, TX
El Paso came in dead last in three of our four categories (single guys, social life, and gyms) and nearly last in education.
Summary: All the guys in these cities seem to be fat, uneducated, and/or taken, I guess. But, what, I ask you, is so wrong with taking a date to Krispy Kreme? Obviously, the editors at The Daily Beast do not understand delicious cuisine.
Check out the full list at The Daily Beast to see how the other 16 cities in the study ranked and let us know in the comments if you agree with the findings for your hometown.
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cali_candy
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 08:32 am: [report]
I live in the Bay Area and have to disagree with San Jose being a “worst” city. The entire Bay Area is a sausage fest, yo, and people commute all over for booty. I think the night life in SJ isn’t as good as SF, but then again the guys in SF don’t necessarily want women (oh wait is this list for women to meet men or for men to meet men too?). Plus I thought Boston was considered to have more women than men…wasn’t there that study on women/men ratios done recently?
amandabear
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 08:32 am: [report]
Two of the cities I’m considering moving to are high up on the list… while where I currently reside (Philadelphia) is near the bottom. And I can confirm that’s a fairly accurate spot for it.
FunnyHairpin
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 08:41 am: [report]
I live in Atlanta, and I’m clearly not going to the right places.
shannac02
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 08:44 am: [report]
Oklahoma City is definitely not a place to meet a man… However, taking dating advice from Oklahoma Christian University, AKA the most conservative batch of virgin bachelors, is not a great idea. There are some men here, but since we’re so midwestern, people get married in their early 20’s and there aren’t many that are single by my age (25).
DFTCTB's
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 09:01 am: [report]
I live in Boston, and unless by “Young and Upwardly mobile,” they mean 18 year old fraternatity turds, drunken nightclub fight-starters, property-destroying fcks then yes Boston is the town for you. It’s why I’m seriously considering moving to NYC. I live near Boston University, and every Bostonian Loves when they all move the hell out!
joyy
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 09:11 am: [report]
Am I the only one endlessly annoyed with lists like these? Not everyone wants to live in a city with half a mil+ population, and even if the size isn’t a deterrent, there are PLENTY of awesome places to live that are smaller cities (or even smaller towns). And really, number of gyms? The only people I know who go to gyms are girls, and that’s out of a broad social circle of mostly single, fun, cute guys.
HarlemGirl
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 11:02 am: [report]
All of the men that I know in Atlanta are gay.
bumbler
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 11:20 am: [report]
The nice thing about the Miami/Ft Lauderdale area is the variety of people here, men and women. I grew up in South Jersey where the social scene was fairly homogeneous, we all went to the same schools, knew each others families from a young age. Now living in South Florida my social circle is much more eclectic which is a lot of fun.
lushj123
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 12:01 pm: [report]
I was shocked 2 c San Diego on the BEST cities list! I live in San Diego & it is definitely 1 of the worst cities 2 meet guys! Well, I should re-phrase. It is the worst city 2 meet someone if ur looking 4 something real,serious or a relationship. If ur looking 4 hooking up it is probably #1! I have never seen so many men over the age of 30 at the clubs, bars, etc. There r SO many girls (with low standards/self esteem) in SD so the guys dont make any effort anymore! zero gentlemen exist in SD. Sad but true!
AbbyUNC07
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 12:04 pm: [report]
No one in DC is meeting guys in bars that they actually want to date. A lot of my friends have resorted to dating online.
heythere
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 12:09 pm: [report]
I am live and have grown up in DC…LOVE IT..I can agree with us having the best happy hours and a lot of networking! Men here are awesome if you know where to look. Don’t wind up with the rich to good for anyone who doesn’t drive a mercedes kind of guy though. Volunteering and going to charity events is the best place to meet dc good guys!
averdin
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 12:16 pm: [report]
San Diego definitely has hot guys, but they’re not much for LTR. The big thing over here is “hanging out, which is not good for relationships, good for NSA.
C.Munro
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 12:25 pm: [report]
I lived in Austin for 4 1/2 years, and am trying to get back there. It’s one of my favorite places on the planet. Unlike most cities I’ve lived in, Austin feels like it was made for people like me: young, college-educated singles who like to have fun. It is an awesome place for meeting people.
angiecakes
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 12:47 pm: [report]
Uhm Miami? Really?
I was born and raised here, and dating here is impossible. Miami is great for the best partying, a fantastic social life, mingling with celebs, and… meeting lots of douchey guys. Guys here have too much partying and tanned flesh in their views to get serious. Cheating is rampant. So it really depends on what kind of relationship we’re talking about.
madtown
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 02:06 pm: [report]
I agree with Las Vegas being at the bottom, I live here and it’s just as impossible to meet girls…decent, non-money hungry material girls anyway.
Rainia29
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 02:58 pm: [report]
(Holding head down in shame)I live in memphis,not from Memphis just moved here when my mother retired from the Army. The list is wrong on one thing Memphis should rank top as the worst city to find a mate, trust me when I say there is nothing here, there really is nothing here. More than half of the males(notice i did not say men)have no real education, still live with their moms, 21+ yrs old, have 3 diffenrent baby mammas, no car no real job and yet the women in this city are considered stuck up. As I told my friend who herself is considered community property just because i refuse to lower my standards does not mean something is wrong with me, maybe i just know there is more out there and grills and still walking around in basketball jerseys and oh my favorite broken english just doesnt appeal to me. So proud to be stuck up Whoo Hooo!!!!!
bethlynn00
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 03:48 pm: [report]
I;m pretty sure this list is aimed at gay men, not single women. See the problem with these ratings is that they just count the number of unmarried men to unmarried women, so that includes the gays, because there is an exorbitant amount of gay men in Atlanta, D.C.,and S.F. so they might be the best place for gay men to meet, but not for single women. I have been to ATL and D.C. several times, and literally the gays are everywhere. It’s definitely not a bad thing, but I don;t go there think I’ma find a hubby in those climates! And I can’t believe Minneapolis-St. Paul is on the list, yeah it’s a place to met men either on welfare or running from WI, IN, and IL to escape their child support obligations! It’s a safe haven for bummy men from all different backgrounds, but that’s about all that are there!
acannon
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 03:50 pm: [report]
Have to disagree with DC. If you are a single, straight man, you have plenty of single, smart beautiful woman to pick from. For the single ladies? A lot of 40+ married guys, or hot gay guys, (2nd largest population of gay men here, San Fran 1st) and guys too used to girls competing for their scarce asses, they don’t even seem to try anymore!
vegan_eskimo
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 03:55 pm: [report]
At first I thought this was aimed at gay men, but then relised Colombus, OH wasn’t on the best list…
Yay Seattle! That’s where I meet my husband!
joyy
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 03:57 pm: [report]
@C.Munro - I almost moved to Austin when I left PA a few years ago. The town I live in now has that same overload of 18-30/40ish fun, mostly intelligent, outdoorsy people though (but with weather that suits me much, much better). My bf travels all over for work (SF, Boston, Philly, Chicago, London, etc) and said Austin is the best place to date/hook up (for guys, anyway). Where are you now?
ExGirlfriend
wrote on October 22 2009 @ 04:53 pm: [report]
Land of 10,000 dates? Really? How can I get on on one of those dates? I’ve been here in Minneapolis for 8 years and still haven’t found a date. WTF?
justlola
wrote on October 23 2009 @ 12:35 am: [report]
@DFTCTB’s i agree with you! you cant walk around boston after 11pm without drunken college kids harassing you on the street. i mean all the bars are full of them and they are soo loud and do so many stupid things. i dont find boston men appropriate for dating at all
vtgirl1993
wrote on October 23 2009 @ 08:33 am: [report]
I’ve always wondered if the people who make these lists actually attempt to date in these cities. I live in DC and, while I don’t have a lot of problems getting dates, finding a decent guy to CONTINUE dating is damn near impossible! In the past two years, I’ve been out with roughly 126 guys—yes, I’ve counted—and out of that number, I’ve only been willing to have a second date with maybe 10. The fair majority of these guys are socially inept, which I find odd for a city w/ such high levels of education and the degree of social networking most people have to do. I’ve had men show up sweaty straight from the gym, talk w/ their mouths full and spit food on me, openly stare at my breasts the whole date, make dates and then repeatedly break them…the list could go on and on. Simple, basic manners is a big thing for me and it’s tough to find in DC.
Anyway, I’ve been to several of the “worst” cities and never had a problem finding guys, esp. men w/ manners. Crazy!
AnonyMISS
wrote on October 23 2009 @ 10:41 am: [report]
i didnt continue to read the list when i saw that atlanta was at the top. when i moved here almost every woman i met told me two things 1) if you’re looking for a man this is not to place to find him and 2) if you brought your man with you i hope you have a very secure relationship.
most men here in atlanta are either gay, married (and probably cheating on their wives),definitely not trying to settle down or some combination of the three.
Ellis
wrote on October 23 2009 @ 12:12 pm: [report]
I was hoping Philly was nearer the top, and that maybe I just hadn’t gotten the hang of the city yet. Nope…my suspicions are confirmed.
C.Munro
wrote on October 23 2009 @ 12:28 pm: [report]
I wouldn’t entirely agree with your BF. Austin is a great place to hook up if you’re a guy, that’s indisputable. For serious dating/settling down, well, maybe not so much. It’s like a buffet down there. Austin is one of those places that makes it more fun to be single than dating.
At least from my perspective.
I live in Dallas now, and it absolutely sucks. The dating scene here is filled with shallow women in their 30s getting desperate to become their mothers, and douchey guys who like MMA and Ed Hardy shirts. It’s so bad, I don’t even bother here.
frenchgreenbean
wrote on October 23 2009 @ 03:28 pm: [report]
ha. i’m in houston right now, and everyone i know wants to leave for austin. me included. it’s also great for girls to hook up, by the way.
and i do know lots of people who are dating seriously in the city. they do what everyone does, make a connection and stay with one person. it is harder. every time i visit i see nothing but gorgeous boys and girls and everyone is nice, outgoing and intelligent. and the hippie free love mind set is the attitude of hte city. but people are different, some want that wham! bam! thank you mam! while others don’t think like that.
Ciao99
wrote on October 23 2009 @ 07:31 pm: [report]
I live in Boston, I disagree with it’s ranking. Two main reasons:
1- Male to female ratio: the ratio is in favor for men looking for a date. The city is popular with young women so they flock here. Men have the upper hand.
2- Large gay population: Take into account that a lot of those young men are gay, that leaves even fewer options for a single woman.
bethany356
wrote on October 23 2009 @ 08:06 pm: [report]
What I love about this list… I met my Seattle native husband in Denver… Big money, no whammies!
GAgirlinNYC
wrote on October 24 2009 @ 08:56 am: [report]
ATLANTA?! These people must have lost their minds. I was born and raised in Atlanta, and the only men I meet out here want me to be their hag.
I did, however, travel to NYC and meet the love of my life in a Starbucks. His hospitality is better than that of any southern man I know!
tennisgirl14
wrote on October 24 2009 @ 12:55 pm: [report]
I can see why Houston didn’t make the top ten because there are a lot of family men here, but I will say that the single ones are quality (if you’re going for long-term); i.e., good country boys turned engineers with a good job and southern charm
clw4170
wrote on October 24 2009 @ 03:49 pm: [report]
Atlanta is one of the WORST cities in which to meet quality men. (Sorry to the small number of great available men in the area…) Most men are only looking for a hookup and nothing more. On top of that, there are entirely too many young, drunk college girls willing to give them exactly what they want so that they don’t look for anything more meaningful.
I’d love to know where the guys who are looking for committed relationships are found in the city—I’ve had no luck!
Sweet Cheeks
wrote on October 26 2009 @ 02:59 pm: [report]
I agree with C. Monroe. I’ve been in Austin now for eight years and I love it!! It’s a city where you can be single at 30 with no kids and nobody will judge you for it. It’s a very trendy city and fun to go out in groups even if it’s couple-free. The people are very friendly which makes it easy to meet new people.
amandabear
wrote on October 26 2009 @ 03:36 pm: [report]
@Ellis - Nope, Philly deserves its low ranking, in my opinion. Terrible place to meet a guy.
radioman2nd
wrote on October 26 2009 @ 04:40 pm: [report]
If I were you folks, stay out of central Missouri. I have never in my life met so many angry, bitter and hateful women. It seems like every lesbian with a grudge and every straight woman had an ax to grind God dropped them off there.
Mike ATX
wrote on October 27 2009 @ 02:16 am: [report]
Austin, TX made the list! Hey as a gay guy, I can say that there are plenty of cute and single guys here… both straight and gay. I moved here from Houston, and I can say that the guys here have a much better sense of physical fitness; they work out a lot more, are more health conscienous, and like to appreciate natural envinments. I love Austin, and I especially enjoy the half-naked beefy scenery around Town Lake
C.Munro
wrote on October 27 2009 @ 12:15 pm: [report]
You mean, “Ladybird Lake.” I’ll never get used to calling it that.
And yeah, the corner of Sixth and Lamar is also a great place for people watching.