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"I feel pretty/Oh, so pretty/I feel pretty and witty and bright!" Okay, Angelenos, you can sing a little more softly: We are NOT the most attractive people in the nation. But we aren't the fugliest, either. When it comes to attractive locals, Los Angeles ranks fifth in the country.
The ranking comes courtesy Travel & Leisure's infamous annual "America's Favorite Cities" survey, in which, as CNN summarizes, "readers rate 35 metropolitan areas for qualities such as people-watching, walkable streets, and hot music scenes."
Who's got the looks? Miami, San Diego, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Charleston rank first through fourth ahead of us. Says T&L of our fair city (and its fair residents):
It's easy to make jokes about some locals having "work" done. But whatever the reason, Angelenos have ranked in the top five for looks in the last three out of four years, and they won the silver medal this year for their fashion-forward style. They're also trying that catch-more-flies-with-honey strategy: their niceness factor went up by three positions since last year.
See, we're pretty on the inside, too!
How else did L.A. stack up?
Well, the good news is, we rank highly in the following categories: Stylish (#2), Weather (#4) Luxury stores (#4), and Diverse (#4). The bad news is, we aren't doing so well in the following categories: Public transportation and pedestrian-friendliness (#34), Environmental friendliness (#32), and Affordability (#31). Ouch.
The rankings, however, are split into perspectives of visitors versus residents. But even when it comes to a category like public transit, while visitors rank us second-to-last, residents only place us one notch higher at #33. Taking a look at how L.A. breaks down overall, visitors like our singles and music scene a bit more than locals, and aside from our street performers (what, does everyone go to the Third Street Promenade for this survey?) we are el stinko when it comes to culture here. Not surprisingly, we are aces in Food Trucks and street food (though both visitors and locals rank us a mere #6) but Angelenos don't think we have great ice cream or microbrew beer (which makes us wonder how the hell so many residents are missing out on both of those, which we have plenty of).
Honestly, the survey paints a rather depressing and limited view of L.A., even if it's tracking data in so many (so many!) categories. Seems like the only reason people come here--and even stay--is for the weather and the fancy shops.
Well, at least we're pretty cute.
Previously
Loserville, USA: Are So Many Cities Seriously That Much Better Than L.A.?
Travel + Leisure Likes It Dirty: Los Angeles Takes Third Prize For 'Dirtiest' City In America
How Smart Are LA Residents? Survey Says "Not Very"
