# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/41 "2009-05-01T16:06:56Z")
I’ve been to Detroit, Gary, East St. Louis and Newark (I have GOT to fire my travel agent), but for truly depressing, I nominate any number of communities in southeast Missouri, eastern Arkansas and northwest Mississippi. Granted, they’re too small to be called “cities” but they utterly lack any hint of past glory or plucky grit that you might be able to dig out in a more urbanized area. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/42 "2009-05-01T16:07:31Z")
In a distant galaxy, 3 billion light years away on the planet of Mxxzzy is the city of Wqtrr which is the most loathesome city in the universe. ---
**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, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/43 "2009-05-01T16:21:25Z")
Wqtrr is an unincorporated municipality. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/44 "2009-05-01T16:26:10Z")
I’m still waiting for someone from Asia, Africa or S. America to enter this thread and laugh his or her ass off. My submission (though it recently ceased to be) is [Kowloon Walled City](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City). ---
**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, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/45 "2009-05-01T16:27:43Z")
I’ve been to lots of shitty Asian cities and a couple of shitty African ones. I’d still go with Newark. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/46 "2009-05-01T16:39:08Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > 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. Really? Jeff City? How come? I’m going to be moving to Mid-Missouri later in the year, and I was thinking about Jeff City. I haven’t been there in a while, but I remember kind of a cute downtown and some nice bluffs overlooking the river. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/47 "2009-05-01T16:45:18Z")
Rochdale, Lancs., UK. If the world had piles that’s where they’d be, right in the Town Hall square ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/48 "2009-05-01T16:45:48Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > for truly depressing, I nominate any number of communities in southeast Missouri, eastern Arkansas and northwest Mississippi. Granted, they’re too small to be called “cities” but they utterly lack any hint of past glory or plucky grit that you might be able to dig out in a more urbanized area. Might as well just choose my lovely hometown of Memphis, where you can experience the sad truths of MO, AR, and MS–with a big ol’ splash of murder and decay.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/49 "2009-05-01T16:55:02Z")
I nominate New York. Yes, you heard right, _New York._ It is a vast swirling singularity of negative energy, surrounded by interesting people and neat stuff. It accepts everything, yet denies anything outside itself. It is a social-Darwinist concentration camp, its fires fed by the all-day-all-night slaughtering of souls. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/50 "2009-05-01T17:00:56Z")
Cairo, the real one, not the one in illinois. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/51 "2009-05-01T17:03:18Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I haven’t been to Rochester per se in awhile either but in terms of percentage of boarded-up broken down Victorians it can’t compare to Syracuse. > > But I’d like to nominate the Tampa Bay area. Probably the smallest city that still has a big city grimy feel to it. Sex and business and class envy and corruption all in one bright Florida package. I assume you’re actually referring to the city of Tampa, which is indeed quite detestable. The Bay Area encompasses many cities, some which are quite nice and some which suck mightily (I’m looking at you, Pinellas Park). Of course if you actually hate the the whole area, that’s cool too. Just don’t expect an invitation to the [the carnival freak capital of the country.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibsonton_Florida_USA) ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/52 "2009-05-01T17:05:18Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Cairo, the real one, not the one in illinois. [This one?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo,_Georgia) ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/53 "2009-05-01T17:24:26Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Wqtrr is an unincorporated municipality. Cite? Sorry, just always wanted to do that on here, back to your normally scheduled thread. As far as places I have been, the Tampa city area just seems like an all out filth hole. ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/54 "2009-05-01T17:29:05Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > I wasn’t too thrilled with Winnipeg when I was there a couple years ago. I lived in Winnipeg for three years and it was a great place to live. I agree it doesn’t make a good first impression though. Regina, on the other hand, is a hole. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/55 "2009-05-01T17:36:54Z")
sorry; double post ---
**Author:** ![JimmyFlair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@JimmyFlair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimmyFlair)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/56 "2009-05-01T18:58:50Z")
> [@kathmandu](#): > > I lived in Winnipeg for three years and it was a great place to live. I agree it doesn’t make a good first impression though. > > Regina, on the other hand, is a hole. I went down to Winnipeg this past weekend. After living in Thompson, Winnipeg was live a five star vacation in the world capital of glamour. Uggghhh, Thompson… I should take some pictures of this town and place them side by side with pictures of those nasty Soviet resource cities. You’d be hard pressed to tell which one is which. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/57 "2009-05-01T18:58:52Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > The view from Newark airport reminded us rather forcefully of Tolkien’s description of Mordor. > > I’m willing to believe it all isn’t like that - but I’m not willing to investigate the matter personally. Newark Airport is in a swamp, half of it is in the City of Elizabeth, and you can barely see the skyline of downtown Newark from there. Most of that industrial crap you see from the plane is not in Newark. It’s far from an undiscovered gem (although the Portuguese food is better than what you can get in Mordor), but the idea that Newark is more loathsome than, say, Camden NJ or Lagos, Nigeria or some industrial backwater in China is just silly. At least it doesn’t have open sewers. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/58 "2009-05-01T19:09:43Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You misspelled **Rochester, N.Y.** Gotta disagree, a city can’t be THAT loathsome if it houses this radio station: [http://wber.monroe.edu/site/html/index.php](http://wber.monroe.edu/site/html/index.php) ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/59 "2009-05-01T19:13:47Z")
I came to say Camden, NJ. I dated a guy who was from there. His Mother’s house was in an area where the police and EMT’s refused to enter - if someone needed immediate medical attention you had to get them to the nearest large intersection and the ambulance would meet you there. Detroit is pretty bad too though. Gunfire is just normal on a Saturday night near my Uncle’s house there. I suspect that 6-7 months from now it will be Detroit, hands down. Of course, I’ve never been to Calcutta, but if the reports are true then neither comes close. . . . . . and I have to stick up for Las Vegas a bit. The strip, yeah, I agree, and maybe the six block radius around it, but most of the actual city is full of great people and happy families. I’ve heard bad things about Reno. OK, so final answer: Camden today, Detroit next year. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931/60 "2009-05-01T19:21:01Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I came to say Camden, NJ. I dated a guy who was from there. His Mother’s house was in an area where the police and EMT’s refused to enter - if someone needed immediate medical attention you had to get them to the nearest large intersection and the ambulance would meet you there. I wouldn’t believe much else that this particular guy told you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-loathsome-city-in-the-universe/494931.md?page=4)