Trip Ideas

America’s Most and Least Attractive People

Which cities have the most eye-catching locals? According to Travel + Leisure readers, attractiveness may be next to friendliness, but a few beaches don’t hurt, either.

Least Attractive No. 1 Detroit

11 of 21

Motor City clearly did not wow voters with its looks, but it made an impression for its cool edge, ranking in the top 20 cities for hipsters. You can find them in the Midtown area, embracing the made-in-America aesthetic at shops like Shinola, known for its bicycles, watches, and leather goods. Detroit also won approval for its pizza, often served in a square shape, as at Buddy’s, a fixture at the corner of Conant and Six Mile roads.

America’s Most and Least Attractive People

Least Attractive No. 1 Detroit

By Katrina Brown Hunt

Lauri Flaquer gets almost starstruck by people in Minnesota’s Twin Cities.

“They’re tall with long, graceful limbs, which work well for climbing over mountains of snow,” gushes the owner of consulting firm Saltar Solutions, based in New York City. People in Minneapolis, Flaquer continues, “are blond, with big blue eyes that sparkle with delight—even over cheese curds.”

No one is perfect. But according to Travel + Leisure readers, those Minnesotans come pretty close, ranking in the top 10 of the America’s Favorite Places survey for being attractive, as well as athletic and likable. Each year, readers rank major metropolitan areas in dozens of categories, including craft beers, luxury shops, lovely parks, and good-looking locals.

In the attractive category, this year’s survey results saw some shake-ups. Some of the hipster winners from last year have faded in the eyes of the T+L community, which favored cities with a tendency toward sunshine, smiling residents, and serious style.

One disqualifier, meanwhile, may be a weakness for team jerseys: the list of the 10 least attractive cities has an eerie overlap with the survey’s top 10 of enthusiastic sports fans.

Indeed, “characterizing the ‘look’ of Pittsburgh locals is easy: black and gold,” says NYC public relations exec Mary Apesos, who has family in Steel City, which did not make the top 10 for stunners. “Steelers attire can be seen in every season,” she says, “while daytime mall-shopping or as eveningwear at a fancy dinner. There are no fashionistas—just fanatics.”

Read on for the full results. And as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, if you disagree, make your point of view heard by voting in the America’s Favorite Places survey.