Cities to avoid (in my humble opinion):

1. NYC: great for culture but it's just too big and busy for my taste! Love to visit but always happy when it's time to go.
2. Atlanta: I just can't explain it. I have several friends who live there and love it. Everytime I go there I just hate it!!!!
3. Charlotte: This falls under the same catagory for me as Atlanta. People who live there love it. When I'm there I feel like I'm trapped in hell.....
4. Philly: I grew up about an hour from there. I try not to label cities as trashy but this one has to get the trashy label.
5. San Fran: I'm a liberal but SF is even too liberal for me! I don't need it shoved in my face every second. And I just have an issue with paying $2000/month for rent and getting a flea bag apartment.
6. The entire state of New Jersey. See Philly for the explanation.
7. Baltimore: The city has worked so hard to clean the place up but it's still not that safe. And ever since some stranger tried to get in my car while I was stopped at a light I have never been back and don't intend too.
8. Durham: until the city can get a handle on the crime and the gang violence I just can't do it. And it's a shame b/c it's a great place with great history.

Cities I would live in without question:

1. Raleigh (of course :) )
2. DC: if you know where you are going you are fine!
3. Miami: I love the culture in this place! It may be disgustingly hot but i would rather have that then have to break out the snow shovel!
4. San Diego: even though it's expensive as all get out I've heard nothing but good things about it from my friends who live out there.
5. San Antonio: this place is just beautiful and it's big but not too big. And it's got a lot of history and culture.

I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not...but St. Louis can be tolerable. It's VERY hit and miss. What places did you go to in St. Louis? If someone went to all of the wrong spots I can see how anyone can think STL is the worst place ever.

I used to think this, then I moved to Lansing - they seem to be getting a lot of things that Des Moines was getting a few years ago. I think Des Moines is also cleaner.

I agree. I think the same goes for even freelancers (with anything), entrepreneurs (like those who want to open up a trendy restaurant), and authors. I also think it's about wanting to be around people who are accepting of your lifestyle and can relate to. Now, I will also throw in people who have been on a reality tv show. When my cousin came back from Survivor, there were so many people who gave her shit (here in STL). She eventually moved out to LA (like what many RT people do, lol). I believe she's doing a lot better out there.

I feel the same way about St. Louis. It is probably the most disguisting city I have visited (and I have spent a lot of time in LA and London). It was hot, dirty, crime ridden, frightning, and so on...

Like getting lost in the neighborhoods by SLU's campus? Or the East side? Or anywhere downtown at night really...:( Been there, done all of that hahaha.

When I say I like STL, I mean I like Chesterfield mainly which is not actually STL, but a suburb-ish type thing; mostly b/c there are so many people I know there.

LOL you sounds as defensive as people from Pittsburgh.

And haha, I agree with shinerbock re: LA. I swear, if I ever met anybody who responded to "So, what do you do," with "I'm an ACTOR," I'd punch him in the face. I don't like Hollywood, big movies, actors, theater, any of it.

ETA: I was totally not kidding/sarcastic about St. Louis. I really hated it. I haven't been there for years, but it was the creepiest place I've ever been. I remember driving down some long ass street where I thought we might be killed. Then, we hung out somewhere near downtown and the best thing we found was some crappy bar where all the food had meat in it and it was just dumb.

Inner city St. Louis IS horrible...I went there with a group in college. There are some nice parts of St. Louis too.

I can't believe no one mentioned East St. Louis, IL. From what I've heard that's worse than anything mentioned thus far.

Yeah that place is seriously awful, it's scary and it's heartbreaking at the same time when you realize that people actually do live there (you'd never know though b/c every building is burnt-out, run-down, and or/abandoned); I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy to get stuck living in East St. Louis. Or the South Bronx, that'd be bad too.

I also want to add Memphis to my list, a fun place to go visit once in a great while but I would never, EVER live there.

But San Antonio, Portland, and some parts of Washington would be ok with me. :)

Worst places to live in California:
1-East LA and all of inner LA *some of the hills are alright
2-Oakland
3-Bakersfield
4-Sacramento
5-Inland Empire

Best places:
1-San Diego
2-Orange County Coast (Newport, Laguna, Irvine)
3-Central Coast (Monterrey, Salinas, Santa Barbara)
4-Ventura County (Westlake Village, Malibu, Thousand Oaks)

Actually, some of my cousins live out there. From what they tell me about the people from my community, I am going to avoid that state like the plague :-)

The cold does not bother me since I've lived in Canada and currently in Michigan.

LOL, some people call SLU and UM-St. Louis the "Oasis in the Ghetto", lol. I've never been on the east side, except for passing through on the highway. But, I've heard terrible things about it. And, yeah, if you love suburbish types of places, yes, Chesterfield, Ballwin, and Creve Coeur are ideal.

If any of you peeps ever find yourself in STL (yes, I'm going to blatantly defend my city), flock to Central West End (pretty classy), the nice part of Washington Ave. (fun things to do and cool restaurants), Soulard/Lafayette (good bars, home of the 2nd largest mardi gras celebration), the "Gay friendly" area of South Grand (has "culture"). I've heard mixed things about Laclede's Landing (bars and clubs). I've only partied there once, for Mardi Gras-Fat Tuesday. NEVER AGAIN! I felt like I was in a gangsta rap video. I was in a sea of white tees and grillz (I even seen a few with lights in them :eek: ). Fights like broke out every 10 minutes and saw way too many people flashing gang signs. Supposedly, it's different when it is not around Mardi Gras time, from what I've heard. All of Clayton, south part of U City, the Loop, and some areas of Maplewood are cool too. Technically, they are suburbs but they kind of border the city and have a nice urban feel. Urban as in classy (Clayton and south U City) and culture (the Loop), not as in ghetto, lol. STL is no Chicago or anything, but if you go to the right spots you'll be okay.

Honorable mentions:
The Hill (in south city)-If you're into authentic Italian food, this is the place for you.
Southern Maryland Heights (suburb)-because of Westport. Creve Coeur Lake/Park is cool too. Home of DPhiE's national headquarter.
Webster Groves and Kirkwood (suburbs)-Nice small town feel in a medium
sized city.
Ferguson (suburb), near the railroad tracks-Also have a nice small town feel.
New Town in St. Charles (exburb)-VERY small town feel.

Small town as in nice architecture, lack of cheesy strip malls and chain restaurants, and the "everybody knows your name" feeling.

Ummm...that long street was probably Grand, lol. Especially North Grand. Yeah, a place where you should lock your car doors. If you have to get out, you better pack some heat, haha. South Grand is hit or miss.

Soulard is lots of fun, wouldn't want to live there necessarily but it's fun to go down there on some nights and def. for Mardi Gras. Same with the Landing, it's ok occasionally. And I absolutely love, love, LOVE Clayton; I dated a guy who moved there after graduation and I loved going to see him on the weekends, it's so pretty and there's so much to do. Too bad the cost of living there (and in Creve Coeur, Chesterfield, etc.) is so much otherwise I'd move there in a second.

And yes UMSL and SLU are both odd, so nice but they're surrounding by the ghetto, literally the second you step off the campus.

/STL loving :D

I'm going to mildy defend Miami. I go to school in South Dade (I didn't know that places like that existed for years and will not go back once school is done) and I was raised in North Dade and to me there is a world of difference. Like English, and driving, etc. etc. It's all really starting to become the same though.

The eastern section of Dade is nice, but a bit stuffy. It's really like everything everyone else said about their cities, it's a big mix of stuff. It's not perfect, but you can live and function here and I'd never call it dirty. And sure it's hot, but what do you expect it to do that close to the tropics? SNOW? We at least get a good ocean breeze so we didn't suffer like all those other cities in the recent heat waves. Don't ever try to find decent parking at any mall though, it doesn't matter if it's 8am or 11pm.