# Most loathsome city in the universe **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931 "2009-05-01T03:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/1 "2009-05-01T03:55:02Z")
I’m not talking most dangerous, poorest, most polluted, most foreclosed-upon, highest unemployment rates, etc. Although those things definitely should be considered. I’m just asking what you believe to be the most loathsome, despicable, rotten, stinking, no-good city in the whole universe. I say: Jefferson City, MO, USA. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/2 "2009-05-01T04:11:19Z")
I don’t know if it’s the _most_ loathsome - but Baltimore is pretty unpleasant. Drugs, poverty, piss-poor public transit and overshadowed by Washington in every way. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/3 "2009-05-01T04:20:06Z")
I don’t have any particularly hard feelings about it, but East St. Louis, IL was the most depressing and scary place I’ve ever been (and I was born in Detroit, so that’s really saying something). ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/4 "2009-05-01T04:43:24Z")
I wasn’t too thrilled with Winnipeg when I was there a couple years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Kalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@Kalea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalea)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/5 "2009-05-01T05:07:00Z")
Newark, NJ. If I ever have to go back there, even to the airport (or especially to the airport) it will be too soon. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/6 "2009-05-01T05:09:56Z")
I gotta go with East St. Louis too. It pretty much leads the league in all the shit things. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/7 "2009-05-01T05:37:13Z")
Las Vegas. Evil wrapped in consumerism. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/8 "2009-05-01T05:47:27Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > I don’t know if it’s the _most_ loathsome - but Baltimore is pretty unpleasant. Drugs, poverty, piss-poor public transit and overshadowed by Washington in every way. Baltimore (my home town) is a good choice for ciites that size. For cities under 100K, Porterville, CA meets all the criteria: near tops unemployment, gan troubles, 75-80% hs education or less, near tops in pollution, near tops in gas prices, near tops in auto insurance rates (not just CA, but nationally for all that I think). ETA - I forgot foreclosure, I think among the top rates in all cf CA, which itself is among the tops in the nation. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/9 "2009-05-01T06:34:17Z")
I spent some time in [Oshawa, Ontario](http://www.oshawa.ca/). It was there that I came to know the sort of nameless dread that I had hitherto believed only existed in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. ---
**Author:** ![Nicolas\_Bourbaki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@Nicolas\_Bourbaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicolas_Bourbaki)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/10 "2009-05-01T07:41:10Z")
The last time this came up, I recall a very convincing case was made for Gary, IN. Never been to either, but I don’t see how anything but there and East St. Louis are even in the running. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/11 "2009-05-01T08:19:43Z")
> [@Kalea](#): > > Newark, NJ. If I ever have to go back there, even to the airport (or especially to the airport) it will be too soon. This. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/12 "2009-05-01T12:58:58Z")
Gary, Indiana. I went through there in October. I was appalled, and I do not use that word lightly. I would have been terrified to go _into the city hall_. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/13 "2009-05-01T13:03:53Z")
According to my dad, Lumberton, NC is an ugly little town full of ugly little people. He may be prejudiced though. He grew up there. But Lumberton has been listed nationally as the worst city of it’s size more than once. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/14 "2009-05-01T13:09:31Z")
You misspelled **Rochester, N.Y.** ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/15 "2009-05-01T13:20:03Z")
[Tobacco Road](http://www.ihesm.com/Loudermilk1.html) (scroll down about 3/5). “Only you know how I loathe…Tobacco Road.” ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/16 "2009-05-01T13:25:26Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Gary, Indiana. I went through there in October. I was appalled, and I do not use that word lightly. I would have been terrified to go _into the city hall_. Meh - I like Gary. Good people there, and they’re building a strong community. There’s actually quite a bit to do there - very nice little minor league baseball park. I loathe Kokomo, IN. It’s nothing but traffic lights and run down strip malls. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/17 "2009-05-01T13:25:54Z")
> [@Kalea](#): > > Newark, NJ. If I ever have to go back there, even to the airport (or especially to the airport) it will be too soon. High five. Although to be fair, I’ve only experienced the airport. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/18 "2009-05-01T13:35:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You misspelled **Rochester, N.Y.** If it has nothing else going for it, it’s the perfectly _shaped_ city. A circle of businesses surrounded by a circle of high density housing surrounded by a circle of suburbs surrounded by countryside. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/19 "2009-05-01T13:37:57Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You misspelled **Rochester, N.Y.** I’m going to stand up for Rochester here. **tygre** and I went to Rochester a couple weeks ago to a restaurant downtown near the Eastman School of Music. There were coffee shops brimming with young arty types, new buildings going up nearby, many restaurants and bars doing brisk business. Despite well-known big businesses closing down, there is a lot else going on in Rochester from a business standpoint, with lots of industrial parks buzzing along. Yes, it’s got bad parts, but what big city doesn’t? I defy you to go to other places named in this thread, like Gary or East St. Louis, then go to Rochester’s downtown areas and business parks and tell me that Rochester even belongs on the same list. And, honestly, I have no real connections to Rochester–I’ve just been to the place, and it’s just not in the same league as Gary or East St. Louis or Detroit (all of which I’ve also been to). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/20 "2009-05-01T13:42:19Z")
> [@Kalea](#): > > Newark, NJ. If I ever have to go back there, even to the airport (or especially to the airport) it will be too soon. I came in here to say Newark, and the only part I’ve been in was the airport. That’s how bad Newark Airport is. [Bithlo, Florida](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bithlo,_Florida) is up there, though. Only town in the world with 14 junkyards and one McDonald’s. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931.md?page=2)