| American Cities for Singular Men |
| Sunday, October 25 2009 |
  Those wily bloggers at The Daily Beast set out to quantify the best (and worst) American cities to meet singular men— those who are smart, fit, fun, and most importantly, single. Their methodology was straightforward. First, they measured cities with 500,000 or more residents. Suburbs, which have a far higher percentage of married people, weren’t included in the sample. Gallery of the Best and Worst Cities to Encounter Single Men Second, they focused primarily on which places had the highest numbers of unmarried men, percentage-wise. They further limited the parameters to single men between 18-to-49 years old with data coming from the U.S. Census. They gave credit to cities with the highest percentage of single men with four-year college degrees. While individual charm and success vary, as a whole, this rewards men with brains and future earnings power (since a college degree typically adds $1 million to a person’s lifetime salary). They weighted this 20%. They rewarded cities with the most gyms per capita, which serves as a proxy for fitness and recreational opportunities. That’s 10%. And finally, nightlife — specifically, bars, restaurants, clubs, and theaters per capita, as measured by Citysearch—were weighted 10%. That’s how they played the game. With that, here’s where the boys are: America’s 36 biggest cities, ranked from first to worst. 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. 11. Portland, OR An emphasis on free-thinking makes it a place where even aging hippies can find love. 12. Columbus, OH The scene is dominated by Ohio State, and available Buckeyes are out every night at the bars on Park Street. 13. Chicago What pulled the Windy City down to number 13? An apparent dearth of gyms. 14. Los Angeles It may be the glitz and sunshine, not the higher learning, that's attracting transplants to the city of angels. Intellectual types might fare better heading north or east. 15. Baltimore At its heart, "Bawlamer" is still a working-class enclave, where hardy men have lingered to work in manufacturing and shipping. 16. Milwaukee Forbes ranked America's brewery capital among its top cities for singles this year, with high marks in job growth and "coolness." 17. Tucson Though there are plenty of single men here, this perennially sunny city may not be the hottest spot to find a date. 18. Houston This city is particularly hurt by a lack of single men compared to its competitors. 19. Nashville The country music industry attracts songsters to the city's Music Row, and local bars are loaded with crooning cowboys slinging their guitars, hoping to make it big. 20. Tampa-St. Petersburg The area's proximity to beaches ensures a vital nightlife and men who stay in shape. 21. Dallas-Fort Worth If you're looking for sophisticated urbanites, head for Dallas. If pickups and Wranglers are more your style, poke around Fort Worth. 22. Detroit Unemployment doesn't bode well for a city's dating scene, and the U.S. headquarters of the auto industry has had a grim run. 23. New York City Sex and the City tricked a nation of women into believing that New York was the ultimate destination for single women looking for love. 24. Phoenix This nondescript desert metropolis doesn't offer much in the way of meet and greets; it scored low for social life. 25. Philadelphia A major-league city, to be sure, but we're sorry to say that Philadelphia resides in the bush leagues when it comes to men. 26. Charlotte After New York City, Charlotte is the country's banking capital, making it the home to a number of young yuppies in training. 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. 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 married. 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. We would love to hear your comments! Post them below! 
sue
Well, I guess that means a big "el paso" on El Paso.
Monday 26 October 2009, 14:57
Bridget
I met a really great guy from San Antonio via a dating website. Handsome, bright, no baggage (divorced), affectionate and very fit. There are still some worthy gentlemen in SA. They're just tough to find.
Saturday 31 October 2009, 17:55
Ariel
I always wonder at these polls.. But hey, never been to Atlanta - maybe time for a visit??
Tuesday 03 November 2009, 12:25
dating website
I think the choice really depends on the person. One part of me feels like I have to be the one to fish through emails and look at profiles and go on a dating website that I choose because no one knows me better than I do. But another part of me would prefer an expert to match me up with someone and possibly eliminate those people I will not connect with. Maybe someday I will try both to see which works better.
Monday 07 December 2009, 13:02
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