Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Worst Big Cities In The USA According To Americans

A map of the USA with green thumbtacks sticking in certain cities
Photo by Nico Smit on Unsplash

There are so many places to travel to and see in America.

That's one of our mottos.... "See America first!"

But as majestic as this land is, there are places to avoid; thanks to high crime rates, broken down cities, bad weather... to name a few.

So a list of the least popular places could be helpful.

People only have so much travel time in life.

You want to make it count.


Redditor jhffmn21 wanted everyone to detail which parts of America may not be worth the visit and why. So they asked:

"Americans of Reddit, what is the worst big city in the USA and why?"

I could skip a few places, but I'll be kind and stay quiet.

Hadestown

Over It Rose GIF by HULUGiphy

"Bakersfield or Fresno pretty sure the devil has part time vacation homes in both of them."

Ok-Trash-798

"Fresno's unofficial motto being 'At least we're not Bakersfield.'"

Kongo204

Wild

"I passed Camden NJ on a way to a concert - and we stopped at a light and a cop drove up and literally told us 'just run the reds and go do not stop' and as we turned you would just see groups of ppl on corners waiting for a stopped car. It was wild."

MarsReject

"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."

StoryAccomplished938

Back to 55

"East St.Louis, stopped once for gas. Didn’t think I was going to make it back on 55."

Nature_Goulet

"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. Crazy amounts of crime, decrepit businesses, broken down neighborhoods. It’s rare to have a night without sirens and gunshots. Would rather take my chances in most war zones than in East St. Louis and I’m a native."

cbb88christian

Mr Trash Wheel

"I haven’t been to every city in the US. But Baltimore could use a little cleaning up since we’re on the subject."

carcinoma_kid

"Awh! Basically one of the only things I know about Baltimore is that it's the home of Mr Trash Wheel and family (the pride of the Baltimore harbor??) and I imagined it as a trash free oasis protected by the Trash Wheel clan... Bummer, I need to get out more."

julez007

"I think every city has great parts. But in my opinion worst parts of Baltimore is pretty... out there."

StewofPuppies

Bodyguard Needed

conan obrien bodyguard GIF by Team CocoGiphy

"Springfield."

canadianzonkey**ck

"I did a wine tasting event in Springfield, when it was over the bar owner insisted on walking me to my car, which I could see from the venue, I told him it wasn't really necessary and he just looked me dead in the face and said 'this is Springfield, yes, it is very necessary.'"

RUfuqingkiddingme

Places you can't walk to your car? That's a no.

So Bland

Over It Wow GIF by The Comeback HBOGiphy

"The worst cities are the most boring cities- the most devoid of personality. So I'm going to say Jacksonville, Florida."

seanofkelley

Poor Places

"Jackson, Mississippi. Very high murder rate, low education, failing infrastructure."

"EDIT: yes I know Jackson isn't a very big city. It just sticks out as being in bad shape."

Cute-King5456

"Jackson was eye opening for me. Where I’m from being ‘poor’ means you don’t have a car or the latest phone and your apartment has roaches. In Jackson if you’re poor you don’t have shoes or running water. It’s like a banana republic that can’t grow bananas."

scumbagstaceysEx

Different Sizes

"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; and Lowell, MA. Industrial cities that lost all their jobs and experienced depopulation and rising crime."

"But I don’t know, maybe Hartford. There’s just nothing there. It’s insurance companies and street gangs. That’s it."

simplepleashures

So Hot!

"In my opinion, of the ones I've been to... Miami."

"Anywhere outside of the nightlife scene is absolutely dangerous."

"For example, Wynwood, the art district, is LITERALLY in the middle of one of the worst possible neighborhoods. You enter or exit Wynwood from the wrong direction, don't stop and wait at red lights."

EmployeeRadiant

What Happened?

Is Awesome New York GIF by FriendsGiphy

"Charleston WV, used to be so vibrant and bustling was supposed to become NYC in the mountains is now a dead zone with a struggling infrastructure and an economy that can't keep itself afloat add on the homeless problem which makes all of downtown look like a giant skid row."

_elbon_22

That's a long list of travel... to skip.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Amanda Seyfried
Christopher Polk/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty Images

Amanda Seyfried's Unbothered Reaction To Losing At Golden Globes Is Seriously Iconic

Now that the Golden Globes have passed, it's time for that most cherished awards-season tradition: deconstructing stars' reactions to losing!

And this year, the award for Best Reaction to Losing inarguably goes to Amanda Seyfriend, who's gone viral for her hilarious response.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kyle Rittenhouse
@rittenhouse2a/X

Kyle Rittenhouse Dragged After Making Outrageous Claim About Fluoride In Water

In another bid to get back into the good graces of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's fans, gun rights poster boy Kyle Rittenhouse claimed fluoride in drinking water is "making people gay."

Rittenhouse fell out of favor with the MAGAsphere in 2024 for criticizing their Dear Leader on his 2nd Amendment stance. After deleting the critical X post which spawned rumors among Trump's MAGA minions that he was secretly transgender, Rittenhouse stayed off social media until December 2025 when he announced he was married.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jake Tapper and Kristi Noem
CNN

Kristi Noem Slammed For Her Smug Reaction To ICE Agent Calling Renee Good A 'F—king B*tch'

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was criticized for her disturbing reaction to a question from CNN host Jake Tapper about a video of an ICE agent calling Renee Nicole Good a "f**king b*tch" after fatally shooting her in the face.

The ICE agent who shot Good has been identified as Jonathan E. Ross, according to court records that closely align with the circumstances of a June 2025 incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, referenced by Noem and Vice President JD Vance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Trump Blasted After Declaring Himself ‘Acting President Of Venezuela’ In Mock Wikipedia Entry

President Donald Trump is facing criticism after he shared a mock Wikipedia entry that features a picture of himself with the new title of "Acting President of Venezuela." This comes little more than a week after his administration invaded the South American country and ousted its dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Trump previously claimed the U.S. will take a day-to-day role governing Venezuela after removing Maduro, an act of regime change widely viewed as an act of war that came without congressional approval and violated international law.

Keep ReadingShow less
A fox yawning in a field
photo of yawning fox on grass

People Describe The Most Boring Thing They've Ever Experienced

No two people share exactly the same interests.

With this in mind, every now and again we might find ourselves needing to attend something that a friend or family member is extremely excited about, but we find excruciatingly boring.

Keep ReadingShow less