11 US Cities That Are Best Left Off Your Travel List

Based on thousands of American opinions from a recent message board thread, here are the top worst cities in America ranked and upvoted for any number of reasons. Crime statistics may be frightening; some places have no personality, or there’s just absolutely nothing to do but go to the strip malls.

With that being said, every big city has its rough spots, so any answer about the “worst” cities could be valid. Everywhere has its flaws, but pride can be found in every corner of the United States for its history and the diverse people who call these places home.

1. East St. Louis

Having lived in St. Louis during my university years, I was pleasantly surprised despite the city’s reputation.

However, once I visited East St. Louis, I understood why it is known as one of the most dangerous cities in America. This city is plagued by high crime rates, poverty, and abandoned buildings. One commenter said that he “was both prepared and a bit saddened to see East St. Louis at the top. It really is that bad, and there’s no debating it.”

I definitely advise staying on the Missouri side.

2. Bakersfield, California

People often joke about Bakersfield as being the ‘armpit of California.’ The city may have a low cost of living, but one local resident commented, “Being in a hot-baked urbanized desert valley is a recipe for disaster.”

“It gets all the smog from LA too so it’s an incredibly unpleasant place to drive through even if you have no intention to stop.”

3. Jackson, Mississippi

During a road trip from St. Louis to New Orleans, tiredness overcame me when I decided to take a nap in a parking lot just outside Jackson in broad daylight. A kind elderly man knocked on my window to warn me of the area I was in. I heeded his warning.

My encounter with this capital was short, but others had noted its high murder rate, low education, and failing infrastructure.

One local said, “As someone who lives right outside Jackson, it’s sad and embarrassing that our capital doesn’t have…things that most small cities across the country already have. Potholes that have been there for years are deep enough to destroy your rims if you don’t constantly switch back and forth between the lanes. Most people I know avoid going into the city limits at all costs because the crime is so high.”

4. Baltimore

Baltimore is the setting of “The Wire” and has topped the world’s most dangerous cities list many times. “I grew up going to Baltimore regularly. That city is nuts,” one local said.

“The best/worst part of Baltimore is that you can be in a really nice part of the town and drive just a bit farther or around the wrong corner and bam… in much worse area. It has some super underrated parts though.”

5. Miami

We all know Miami for its beaches, bikinis, and epic EDM parties. But this city also has a darker side, and thousands of people agree.

Some locals point out challenges such as the year-round heat and humidity, heavy traffic, other things being trafficked, and the high cost of living. Residents have also noted the danger of hurricanes and occasional unpleasant smells.

One local especially noted that “Miami has awful drivers. I know everyone says that about their state, but for Miami, this is very true and worse than any other Florida city.”

7. Camden, NJ

Having been raised in New Jersey, there are a few locales where my family would always speed drive through. Camden was one of them.

One user commented, “I live an hour from Philly and had to explain this to my wife several times about Camden. She didn’t believe me until I ran a red there in front of a cop, and nothing happened. She didn’t understand then how dangerous Camden can be.”

8. Stockton, CA

Once known for its agriculture industry and port, Stockton has been hit hard by economic decline and high crime rates. A local resident mentioned that the city has a significant homeless population and that “every amusement or nice attraction gets shut down.”

A college student shared their experience of having worked “for my first semester at the mall. I rode my bike a few times, but it felt so sketchy after dark that after a week or two, I just started fitting Lyft rides into my weekly budget.”

9. Gary, Indiana

“I hesitate to answer this because the worst cities in America aren’t big cities. It’s medium and small-sized cities that have been hit the hardest by economic changes. Places like Gary, IN; Pontiac, MI; Bridgeport, CT. Industrial cities that lost all their jobs and experienced depopulation and rising crime,” one American pondered.

In a 2019 article, USA Today described Gary and similar cities as “legacy cities well known for their long-term economic decline due to deindustrialization. In these cities, vacancy rates are well in excess of 10%.”

“It’s bizarre. I accidentally drove into Gary earlier this year, and it was immediately apparent that it was a wildly different city than anything around it. The roads were downright horrendous, the infrastructure looked like it had seen a few wars, and the smell was just horrendous,” another person shared.

10. Binghamton, NY

Binghamton “used to be a fairly decent place, but like much of upstate NY, the economy really dried up (Endicott-Johnson shoes and IBM were both big there). Really, the University is the best thing there now.”

Someone else brought up the fact that Binghamton is the 10th rainiest city in the US and the 7th cloudiest.

11. Midland/Odessa, TX

Enough people voted for this oil-rich metropolitan area to be on the list, with reasons like “You’re hours away from any other real city in West Texas. The population is basically all transitory-meaning. It doubles in size during an oil boom and empties during a bust. When oil booms, it jacks the prices on everything, and traffic sucks…When it rains, I get the crude oil stench in my neighborhood.”

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