These Are the Best U.S. Cities to Live in If You're Single
It’s that time of year again: Singles Awareness Day is right around the corner.
While Valentine’s Day is nothing but candy hearts and two-dozen roses for some, it can be a huge letdown for people without a significant other to dote upon. In fact, there are some places lots of singles straight-up avoid on this infamous day.
But Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a day that’s reserved just for couples. Single people out there can have a good time, celebrate their independence, or even find love on Feb. 14 quite easily depending on what city they live in.
Sadly, some cities are better than others when it comes to Valentine’s Day.
In order to discover the perfect locations for singles on the official holiday of love, bus and train travel platform Wanderu studied cities and ranked the best based on a number of criteria, including the percentage of single people in each city as well as the quality and total number of goods and services that can be enjoyed without a romantic partner.
It may come as no surprise that the biggest metropolitan areas in the U.S., Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago, top the list of the best cities to be single. With so many options of other single people out there, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Not to mention, these cities have a deep pool of things to do with or without a partner – so going solo isn’t a big deal.
But there are some dark horses in the rankings that you may not expect, like Baltimore, Sacramento, and Portland beating out bigger cities like Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Austin. These smaller areas have just enough charm and activities to make being single an ideal situation for many.
It should be noted that Wanderu published only the top 25 cities that ranked in their study of the 50 most populous, so even the cities that round out the bottom five — Phoenix, Arizona; Charlotte, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Tampa, Florida — are not the worst places in the U.S. to be single.
Still, it may seem odd to see notorious party city Las Vegas only come in at 24. According to Wanderu’s analysis, “hook-up friendly” cities may not be the ideal places for some singles.
The cities with the highest percentage of singles include Detroit at No. 1, followed by Washington D.C. and Atlanta. So, if you are looking for a big dating pool, you might consider a move to one of these cities.
Wanderu ranked cities based on specific activities as well, including best cities for day trip destinations, most massage parlors, most adult shops, fastest download speeds, most cupcake shops, cheapest wine, and most takeout options.
For the full analysis, visit the Wanderu website.