The 20 Ugliest Cities in the United States

When you think of the ugliest cities in the country, you might immediately consider aesthetics. But that’s not all we’re talking about right there. There are cities across the nation that have been voted the ugliest for a variety of reasons, and we have some of those reasons right here. From being the ugliest in terms of looks to being the ugliest in terms of danger and in terms of other factors, there are many cities across the country that you might want to cross off your list of places to go, things to do and areas you want to visit. They’re not so pretty, and most of the people who read this will understand to an extent why some of these locations are listed on here for people to avoid.

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Cape Disappointment, Washington

It’s so foggy here that you almost cannot see anything. And while it’s got water and mountains and lush foliage, it’s difficult to tell. Therefore, it’s hard for people to understand that it’s nice here underneath and the other stuff. And with a name like Cape Disappointment, we have to assume that it is quite ugly here for several reasons. That’s not to say you won’t see beauty here. Okay, you won’t see beauty here; it’s just too foggy most days and it brings people down.

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San Jose

This California city does not make the list because it isn’t attractive. It is. It’s not an ugly place by any means. However, it is a city with a lot of pollution, and that happens to be something that turns people off immensely and makes them not want to live in the area. For that particular reason, the vast majority of people who live in this area find the city to be a bit unattractive thanks to all the air pollution.

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Stockton, California

Since the decline of the economy a while back, this is a city that has not had much luck in terms of being healthy and happy. The crime rate has risen to a point that it is quite shocking and many of the people here have moved away or turned to a life of crime. Additionally, it’s not the kind of place you want to live if you want to steer clear of drugs and drug use as there is a huge drug problem in the area. It’s just not a city that gets to make the pretty list for so many reasons.

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Camden, New Jersey

Camden has one of the highest crime rates in the country. When this many people are killed or suffer from criminal activity on a regular basis, it’s very difficult to consider the area an attractive one. After all, what is attractive about a place in which people are killed and beaten, where drugs are used regularly an where the economy has collapsed in such a shocking manner? There is nothing attractive about that at all.

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Memphis, Tennessee

Due to a high crime rate and other factors that have made the city fall to the wayside a bit over the past few years, Memphis is no longer considered one of the nicest cities in the country. While I have no idea if it was ever one of the nicest, it certainly was not one of the worst. But a high crime rate and severe drug usage in the city these days has turned this otherwise lovely city into a place where there is a lot you just don’t want to encounter. That’s why it’s considered one of the ugliest anymore.

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Reno, Nevada

It’s known as being a bit like Las Vegas on a much smaller scale, but Reno has not done so well in the past few years. Many businesses have closed and buildings now sit empty and abandoned, often in disarray because of vandals. The crime rate is rising like the tide and much of the city is in poverty at the moment. It’s made it one of the least desirable places to be for the moment, and that’s quite sad for many reasons.

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St. Louis, Missouri

It was recently rated the most dangerous city in the country in terms of murders and it’s the only US city on the list of top 20 most dangerous cities in the world. It’s not high on the list, but to be on it at all should tell you something about the area. It’s not doing well, and many of the people here live scared, in poverty and in a location that has done nothing but decline over the course of the past few years. The area is considered highly dangerous and has more murders per year than any other city in the country. Additionally, the area is also one of the least attractive at the moment thanks to the number of abandoned buildings and the vandalism happening.

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Cleveland, Ohio

It was once a very vibrant city. I remember the first time my husband and I visited before we had children for a conference he had to attend. The area was not so bad. We stayed at the Hyatt right downtown and things were actually pretty nice. Everything was open, there were tons of restaurants and so much shopping and nightlife. That was in 2007. We went back at the end of 2009 with our then 1.5-year-old daughter and the entire area was a mess. Everything was closed, it was dirty, it was scary and I refused to leave the hotel as I’d done with confidence and happiness just two years before. I would not leave until my husband returned in the evenings and he could go out with our daughter and I.

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Detroit, Michigan

There is no surprise that people have hailed this among the ugliest cities in the country. The once very affluent community is riddled with crime. The businesses that once thrived here are no longer doing so and most of the buildings that were once so impressive are now desolate and abandoned, and they are just not in good shape. In fact, so many of the people here are so miserable that it has one of the highest crime rates in the country.

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Oakland, California

Oakland is not the kind of place you want to be right now. Aside from being ugly in that much of the city is in ruins, a lot is boarded up and much of the city is just looking dismal, there is very little around there to consider lovely anymore. There is so much crime you can just see it on street corners. There is a lot of drug use and dealings and there is a very high crime rate. There are too many murders and people here live in fear, and that’s what makes this such an ugly city.

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Panama City, Florida

If you want to live somewhere ugly as far as what you can see, this is not the place to go. But if you want to live somewhere ugly for your marriage, you should certainly come here. This lovely city by the sea was ranked one of the ugliest cities in the world because it is the one with the highest divorce rate in the country. That’s kind of sad, but I guess when you have so many people wearing so few clothes on such a regular basis, that’s what you get in a marriage.

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New Haven, Connecticut

Despite being home to Yale, this is one of the most dangerous cities in the country, which is why it is considered one of the ugliest. There are few places around there that have a higher crime rate, more murders and so many bad things going for it. The people at Yale are impressive, but the area surrounding this lovely Ivy League school are not even close to being lovely or impressive. It’s considered ugly for that reason alone.

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Riverside, California

While there are some areas around here that look wonderful, the area is filled with trash and with pollution. This has made the area look a little bit gross and very sad. The nice areas are still all right, but the rest of the city is suffering and it’s noticeable. Additionally, there is a lot of air pollution so the air quality here is nothing to brag about. Most people in the area are quite unhappy with what has happened to their little city, but it doesn’t appear anyone is doing much about it.

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee isn’t exactly known as being a tropical location, but a myriad of different issues in and around the city has caused the area to make it onto the list of ugliest cities in the country. There is a lot of industrial mess, and there is a lot that you just don’t want to look at in most cases. There’s not a lot to say about this area other than the fact that it is just not nearly as nice as it was in the past, and it’s quite noticeable to those in the area.

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Bridgeport, Connecticut

It seems that just about everything around here is boarded up, and that makes the city look kind of sad. It also makes it a big target for crime and for things that you don’t want to live near or with, which is why so many people are flocking out of the city as quickly as they possibly can. It’s why it’s been voted one of the ugliest cities in the country, and it’s not a compliment.

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Baltimore, Maryland

Aside from what’s going on in the city right now, there was once a point in which Travel and Leisure ranked the city the fourth ugliest in terms of the people who reside in the city. It seems kind of mean in my opinion, especially considering some truly beautiful people hail from this particular city. I wasn’t even going to include this one in here, but I thought that with all the recent rioting and whatnot, it did make sense to include this city on the list for being ugly for various reasons.

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Philadelphia

There’s been a huge amount of stress in this city since the economy crashed a few years ago. The people here have lost their jobs. Buildings stand empty. There is a lot of crime and so much going on here that is not peaceful or good, and many of the people across the country have taken notice of these changes. It’s no longer considered one of the nicest areas in the country, so people just are not coming here anymore.

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Fresno, California

It doesn’t seem as if any place in Cali could be less than gorgeous, but Fresno gets the prize for being the dirtiest city in the country. That’s pretty impressive when you consider just how many people and how many things are in the country that might seem dirtier. But the truth is that this city has nothing going for it in terms of air quality, and that’s why it wins the role as dirtiest city around.

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Bakersfield, California

With power lines and plants and pollution, there’s not much to look at around here. It’s one of the most polluted areas in California and it’s not attractive. The people who live here have voted the food as some of the worst in the country, too, and therefore it seems to us that there is virtually nothing going for this location anymore. That’s sad since it was previously such a nice location. Things change, though, and this is proof of that fact if there ever was.

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