What’s the worst city in the U.S. with a population over 100,000?

[TheReckoning]

Jackson, MS?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Probably some overgrown Sun Belt suburb that voted for Trump.

[SnowLabrador]

Jackson, MS?

In terms of worst to live in, I can't argue with that.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Of the ones I've spent time in, probably Montgomery.

[Del Tachi]

I'd still take living in Jackson over some soulless exurb like Concord, NC or Surprise, AZ

A population cutoff of 100k is really too small to answer this question meaningfully, as there are just too many different community typologies within that range.  Thinking of only cities more than 500k, I'd probably choose either Albuquerque or El Paso.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Out of the cities I've been to, Jackson, MS and Macon, GA were the worst.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Toss-up between Downey and Bakersfield for me, though that might just be because I haven't found someone willing to take me to Victorville to visit where the Victorville Film Archives used to be before Tim Heidecker selfishly destroyed much of the collection.

I'm not sure if people don't want to change their clocks to Victorville Film Time or it is because the city is that terrifying.

[TheReckoning]

I'd still take living in Jackson over some soulless exurb like Concord, NC or Surprise, AZ

A population cutoff of 100k is really too small to answer this question meaningfully, as there are just too many different community typologies within that range.  Thinking of only cities more than 500k, I'd probably choose either Albuquerque or El Paso.

I mean, there’s a reason why the population of those exurbs is exploding while the population of Jackson is declining.

El Paso is probably the best large city in the Southern United States to live in.

[Sol]

Toss-up between Downey and Bakersfield for me, though that might just be because I haven't found someone willing to take me to Victorville to visit where the Victorville Film Archives used to be before Tim Heidecker selfishly destroyed much of the collection.

I'm not sure if people don't want to change their clocks to Victorville Film Time or it is because the city is that terrifying.

Please don't spread this misinformation! The Victorville Film Archive is still thriving despite the destruction of the Film Center, including the terrific Victorville Film Network!

[TechbroMBA]

Oakland

[Mr. Smith]

Mesa, but really, anywhere around Phoenix will do.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Interestingly enough, I don't think I've ever been to a particularly bad city with a population over 100k, unless I crossed into some overgrown Texas suburb at some point. Hoover, Alabama is just under 100k. Flint, MI was over 100k in relatively recent years, but it's not now or when I was there. Rockford, IL is kind of an ill city with a serious post-industrial decline that really pales in comparison to Chicago, but it's hardly a terrible place.

The worst one is probably...Kansas City, Kansas? Really doesn't seem to have really anything going for it, it's kind of the rejected area of the KC metro. Aside from that you can live in Kansas, arguably the more liberal state than Missouri at this point.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Lakewood.

[LabourJersey]

Lakewood.

Had no idea Lakewood was now over 100,000 people - in fact according to the census it's 136,000!

Had to work down in Lakewood for a few days as part of a summer job with a civil engineering company. It had the absolute worst roads I have ever driven on - potholes everywhere. I'd guess the rapid growth outpaces any attempt to keep up the infrastructure.

[They not like us]

Any city in Florida with a population over 100,000

[Schiff for Senate]

Lakewood.

Had no idea Lakewood was now over 100,000 people - in fact according to the census it's 136,000!

Had to work down in Lakewood for a few days as part of a summer job with a civil engineering company. It had the absolute worst roads I have ever driven on - potholes everywhere. I'd guess the rapid growth outpaces any attempt to keep up the infrastructure.

Places like Lakewood - cultish Jewish communities - have insane growth rates because families there have several children, way more than the national average (related to this, they also have low median ages).

It's not that they're attracting new residents, it's that the residents keep the population growing with how many children they have.

See also: Kiryas Joel, NY, with a median age of 13.2, and a whopping 63% growth rate between 2010 and 2020

[The Arizonan]

I'd still take living in Jackson over some soulless exurb like Concord, NC or Surprise, AZ

A population cutoff of 100k is really too small to answer this question meaningfully, as there are just too many different community typologies within that range.  Thinking of only cities more than 500k, I'd probably choose either Albuquerque or El Paso.

What is so bad about Albuquerque?

[Person Man]

Interestingly enough, I don't think I've ever been to a particularly bad city with a population over 100k, unless I crossed into some overgrown Texas suburb at some point. Hoover, Alabama is just under 100k. Flint, MI was over 100k in relatively recent years, but it's not now or when I was there. Rockford, IL is kind of an ill city with a serious post-industrial decline that really pales in comparison to Chicago, but it's hardly a terrible place.

The worst one is probably...Kansas City, Kansas? Really doesn't seem to have really anything going for it, it's kind of the rejected area of the KC metro. Aside from that you can live in Kansas, arguably the more liberal state than Missouri at this point.

It's a real tough contest for sh**ttiest suburb between them and Dependence.

[junior chįmp]

Any city in Florida with a population over 100,000

Any city in Florida

[wnwnwn]

Hialeah?

[Mr. Illini]

In the Midwest it’s probably Indianapolis.

[Ancestral Republican]

In the Midwest it’s probably Indianapolis.

I have some family ties in Indiana and have considered it as a future possibility to live but the fact that it's the most car-dependent city in America rules it out. I hate cars and cities that are built around them.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

In the Midwest it’s probably Indianapolis.

I have some family ties in Indiana and have considered it as a future possibility to live but the fact that it's the most car-dependent city in America rules it out. I hate cars and cities that are built around them.

It's not? According to this it's not even top 10: https://www.kake.com/story/41622894/the-most-car-dependent-cities-in-america

It's been awhile since I've been there but it definitely didn't give the impression of either a car dependent city or a robust public transit city, just kind of middling.

[Ancestral Republican]

In the Midwest it’s probably Indianapolis.

I have some family ties in Indiana and have considered it as a future possibility to live but the fact that it's the most car-dependent city in America rules it out. I hate cars and cities that are built around them.

It's not? According to this it's not even top 10: https://www.kake.com/story/41622894/the-most-car-dependent-cities-in-america

It's been awhile since I've been there but it definitely didn't give the impression of either a car dependent city or a robust public transit city, just kind of middling.

Ah, my mistake. I was going by the metric in this article (linked on Wikipedia): https://www.indystar.com/story/news/environment/2021/05/04/indianapolis-bike-lanes-could-future-indy-cyclists-national-bike-month/7375041002/ that says Indianapolis residents drive more miles per year than any other city's, which I guess isn't quite the same thing as car dependency but still doesn't seem great.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

I'd still take living in Jackson over some soulless exurb like Concord, NC or Surprise, AZ

Agreed. I spent an evening in Jackson and it did not seem especially vibrant, but it still was more interesting than living in a megasuburb.

Thinking of only cities more than 500k, I'd probably choose either Albuquerque or El Paso.

I've heard great things about El Paso. Seems like a gem. ABQ I've heard more mixed reviews.

Of the ones I've spent time in, probably Montgomery.

My time in Montgomery wasn't awful but it did seem lackluster and a little sad. Nowhere near as fun as Birmingham.

Hoover, Alabama is just under 100k.

I liked Hoover. I had some great Asian food there.

(KCKS seems like a plausible choice though)