America’s Favorite Cities

For our eighth annual (and sometimes controversial) survey, we tallied more than 50,000 votes, ranking 38 cities in dozens of categories. Find out the results, including which cities are rudest, best for pizza, and most stylish.

By Travel + Leisure and Travel + Leisure Staff
October 07, 2014
Noe DeWitt

Top Cities Overall

1. Providence
2. Houston
3. Kansas City
4. Minneapolis/St. Paul
5. Los Angeles

5 Reasons to Visit Providence Now »

See the winners in each category:

Culture | Shopping | Quality of Life | People | Nightlife | Food + Drink | Type of Trip | Methodology

CULTURE

Art Scene

1. New York City
2. Providence
3. Minneapolis/St. Paul
4. Kansas City
5. Houston

Christmas Lights

1. Kansas City
2. New York City
3. Salt Lake City
4. Albuquerque
5. Cleveland

Concerts

1. Nashville
2. Austin
3. Los Angeles
4. Minneapolis
5. Houston

Festivals

1. New Orleans
2. Austin
3. Nashville
4. Minneapolis/St. Paul
5. Louisville

Free Attractions

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Minneapolis/St. Paul
3. Kansas City
4. Houston
5. New Orleans

Galleries

1. New York City
2. Houston
3. Providence
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Kansas City

Check out T+L's Guide to New York City's Top Galleries »

Historical Sites

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Philadelphia
3. Charleston
4. Boston
5. New Orleans

Museums

1. Washington, D.C.
2. New York City
3. Houston
4. Cleveland
5. Chicago

Music Scene

1. Nashville
2. Austin
3. New Orleans
4. Cleveland
5. Minneapolis/St. Paul

Theater

1. New York City
2. Minneapolis/St. Paul
3. Houston
4. Cleveland
5. Providence

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SHOPPING

Antiques Stores

1. New Orleans
2. Charleston
3. Houston
4. Kansas City
5. Atlanta

Bookstores

1. Portland, OR
2. Houston
3. New York City
4. Seattle
5. Minneapolis/St. Paul

Check out T+L's Guide to Shopping for Rare Books in Portland, OR »

Boutiques

1. Houston
2. New York City
3. Los Angeles
4. Atlanta
5. Kansas City

Flea Markets

1. Kansas City
2. Albuquerque
3. Houston
4. Cleveland
5. Louisville

Home Décor/Design Stores

1. Houston
2. Atlanta
3. Los Angeles
4. Kansas City
5. Dallas

Luxury Stores

1. New York City
2. Los Angeles
3. Houston
4. Chicago
5. Atlanta

Specialty Food Markets/Food Halls

1. Houston
2. Seattle
3. New York City
4. Cleveland
5. Los Angeles

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QUALITY OF LIFE

Affordability

1. Kansas City
2. Oklahoma City
3. Cleveland
4. Pittsburgh
5. Houston

Architecture/Cool Buildings

1. Charleston
2. New Orleans
3. Chicago
4. Washington, DC
5. Providence

Cleanliness

1. Minneapolis/St. Paul
2. Salt Lake City
3. Kansas City
4. Charleston
5. Tampa

Good Drivers

1. Kansas City
2. Minneapolis/St. Paul
3. Portland, ME
4. Cleveland
5. Portland, OR

Peace and Quiet

1. Minneapolis/St. Paul
2. Kansas City
3. Charleston
4. Salt Lake City
5. Albuquerque

People-watching

1. New Orleans
2. New York City
3. Las Vegas
4. Nashville
5. San Francisco

Public Parks/Gardens

1. Minneapolis/St. Paul
2. Washington, DC
3. Portland, OR
4. Charleston
5. Boston

Public Transportation/Pedestrian-Friendliness

1. Portland, OR
2. Washington, DC
3. Minneapolis/St. Paul
4. Boston
5. Chicago

Safety

1. Salt Lake City
2. Portland, ME
3. Minneapolis
4. Charleston
5. Nashville

Weather

1. San Diego
2. Honolulu
3. Los Angeles
4. Albuquerque
5. Tampa

Check out T+L's Guide to Exploring the Outdoors in San Diego »

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PEOPLE

Athletic/Active

1. Minneapolis/St. Paul
2. San Diego
3. Portland, OR
4. Denver
5. Austin

Attractive

1. Miami
2. San Diego
3. Charleston
4. Los Angeles
5. Providence

Check out T+L's Guide to America's Most and Least Attractive People »

Friendly

1. Nashville
2. Salt Lake City
3. Minneapolis/St. Paul
4. Kansas City
5. Oklahoma City

Geeky

1. Providence
2. Portland, OR
3. Seattle
4. Austin
5. Kansas City

Hip/Cool

1. Austin
2. Providence
3. Los Angeles
4. Nashville
5. Miami

Intelligent

1. Minneapolis/St. Paul
2. Houston
3. Washington, DC
4. Providence
5. Boston

Passionate Sports Fans

1. Pittsburgh
2. Kansas City
3. Cleveland
4. Baltimore
5. Philadelphia

Quirky

1. New Orleans
2. Austin
3. Portland, OR
4. Providence
5. Albuquerque

Rude

1. New York City
2. Tampa
3. Miami
4. Los Angeles
5. Boston

Snobby

1. New York City
2. Miami
3. Los Angeles
4. Washington, DC
5. Boston

To see the full results, check out America's Snobbiest Cities »

Stylish

1. New York City
2. Los Angeles
3. Miami
4. Houston
5. Charleston

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NIGHTLIFE

Cocktail Bars

1. New Orleans
2. Houston
3. Providence
4. Miami
5. Las Vegas

Dive Bars

1. New Orleans
2. Austin
3. Nashville
4. Kansas City
5. Baltimore

Live Music Scene

1. Nashville
2. New Orleans
3. Austin
4. Minneapolis/St. Paul
5. Los Angeles

Nightclubs

1. Miami
2. Las Vegas
3. New Orleans
4. Los Angeles
5. New York City

Check out T+L's Guide to Miami's Nightlife Scene »

Singles Scene

1. Miami
2. Houston
3. New Orleans
4. Austin
5. Atlanta

To see the full results, check out America's Best Cities for Singles »

Wine Bars

1. Houston
2. San Francisco
3. New York City
4. Portland, OR
5. Los Angeles

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FOOD + DRINK

Bakeries

1. Providence
2. Houston
3. New York City
4. Minneapolis/St. Paul
5. New Orleans

Barbecue

1. Kansas City
2. Memphis
3. Austin
4. Houston
5. Nashville

Bars

1. New Orleans
2. Nashville
3. Austin
4. Houston
5. Providence

Brunch

1. Houston
2. New Orleans
3. Providence
4. Atlanta
5. Charleston

Coffee

1. Portland, OR
2. Seattle
3. Providence
4. Albuquerque
5. Houston

To see the full results, check out America's Best Coffee Cities »

Craft Beer

1. Portland, OR
2. Kansas City
3. Minneapolis/St. Paul
4. Cleveland
5. Houston

Diners

1. Providence
2. Atlanta
3. Houston
4. Cleveland
5. Albuquerque

Hamburgers

1. Houston
2. Providence
3. Minneapolis/St. Paul
4. Atlanta
5. Albuquerque

Notable Restaurants

1. New Orleans
2. Providence
3. New York City
4. Charleston
5. Kansas City

Check out T+L's Guide to New Orleans for Food Lovers »

Pizza

1. Chicago
2. Providence
3. New York City
4. Atlanta
5. Philadelphia

Sandwiches

1. New Orleans
2. Providence
3. Philadelphia
4. Houston
5. Albuquerque

Street Food/Food Trucks

1. Austin
2. Providence
3. Portland, OR
4. Cleveland
5. Minneapolis/St. Paul

Wine

1. San Francisco
2. Portland, OR
3. Houston
4. Providence
5. Los Angeles

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TYPE OF TRIP

Adventure Vacation

1. Salt Lake City
2. Albuquerque
3. Honolulu
4. Tucson
5. Denver

Beach Getaway

1. Honolulu
2. Tampa
3. Miami
4. San Diego
5. Los Angeles

Family Vacation

1. Orlando
2. Tampa
3. Salt Lake City
4. Albuquerque
5. Minneapolis/St. Paul

Gay-friendly Vacation

1. Minneapolis/St. Paul
2. Providence
3. San Francisco
4. New Orleans
5. Atlanta

Girlfriend Getaway

1. Nashville
2. New Orleans
3. Kansas City
4. Charleston
5. Providence

Relaxing Weekend

1. Tucson
2. Charleston
3. Albuquerque
4. San Diego
5. Portland, ME

Romantic Escape

1. Charleston
2. Honolulu
3. San Francisco
4. New Orleans
5. San Diego

To see the full results, check out America's Most Romantic Cities »

Ski Trip

1. Salt Lake City
2. Denver
3. Albuquerque
4. Portland, OR
5. Seattle

Spa Vacation

1. San Diego
2. Miami
3. Los Angeles
4. Honolulu
5. Las Vegas

Wild Weekend

1. New Orleans
2. Las Vegas
3. Miami
4. Austin
5. Los Angeles

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Methodology

The America's Favorite Places survey, developed by the editors of Travel + Leisure, launched online on June 2, 2014. Respondents rated their choice of 1,209 destinations in up to 67 categories, using a scale of one to five (with five being the highest score). The final results reflect a subset of the survey data for 38 cities, based on votes cast through July 21, 2014. Surveyed cites are selected by Travel + Leisure editors based on reader feedback and tourism statistics.

Disagree with any of these results? Make your opinions heard by voting in the America's Favorite Places survey.

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