Travel and Leisure Rates the Least Attractive Cities in America

I was surprised to find that I have lived in two cities with the least attractive people in the United States, according to the recent poll, “America’s Favorite Cities,” rating cities by attractiveness. In fact, according to this survey the only place that has less attractive people than Dallas and Washington DC, is Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation.

Looking into the way Travel and Leisure conducted this survey, I found that instead of seeking out a representative sample of the broader population by randomly selecting people, the survey relied on web site clicks. Nothing kept people from voting repeatedly or finishing the survey, which required them to rank 55 separate attributes of all the cities listed. The methodology was far from scientific, and the survey was irresponsible.

The bikini-clad, synthetically pretty people on South Beach in Miami, who were voted most attractive, are likely to be more appealing than Philadelphia residents wrapped in a coat and scarf with a runny nose. Additionally, South Beach is a tourist spot, and it is hard to tell who lives there. The unattractiveness of residents does not typically repel visitors from a destination so it should not have been included in this survey.

A respected travel publication should concentrate on listing positive attributes about our nation’s cities rather than shaming them based on such a shallow survey.

source: http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2007/