The Big Apple has the unique distinction of being on both this list and our cities-with-the-prettiest-people list. Why? As several New Yorkers we surveyed said, some of the hottest people in the country live or work in Manhattan, but when it comes to the outer boroughs, not so much. Our celebrity check validated this as many of the "ugliest" celebs were from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Yonkers or just "New York City." Plus, NYC not only scored high for ozone pollution, but is the third most stressful city in the U.S. according to Forbes.com, and eighth unhealthiest and sixth worst city for sleep by Sperling's Best Places. Translation: Even the prettiest people can look downright weathered over time.
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No. 7: Washington, D.C.
Politicians, lawyers and techies can be hot. But, uh ... not usually. D.C.'s diverse residents are generally pretty healthy and get lots of sleep, but their overall stress level is still high (they were ranked as Forbes.com's ninth most stressful place to live), and the air isn't exactly great (they're 14th for most ozone pollution). Travel and Leisure gave them props for having brains, but ranked them second least attractive. So simply put, D.C. is mediocre at best.
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No. 6: Philadelphia, Penn.
Philly's unattractiveness might come more from its locals' personalities than anything else (ask any sports fan). But the city also got bad marks for its male population (they ranked No. 7 on our cities with the ugliest guys list -- see why here), as well as its style, friendliness, worldliness, athleticism, diversity and intelligence (that was from Travel and Leisure, who ranked them least attractive of all). It's position as 16th most ozone-polluted doesn't help either -- ouch. That said, at least the architecture's nice ... and your teeth are bound to be fine in this city.
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No. 5: Cleveland, Ohio
Poor Cleveland. All the good-looking natives seem to leave in search of greener pastures. We can see why: poor health (they're fourth in the least healthy category), fatty (yet delicious) food, bad air quality (they're the 10th most polluted and seventh worst for your skin city in the U.S.) and super-high stress levels make for a not-so-pretty, sleepless existence (Sperling's Best Places ranked Cleveland second worst for sleep). But the land of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which also happens to be an hour from not-so-pretty Marilyn Manson's hometown, isn't Ohio's only sore spot; Cincinnati trails not too far behind with many of the same qualities, and second-worst in American hair to boot!
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No. 4: Las Vegas, Nev.
What? Sin City? Subtract all the fit performers who work in Vegas, and the locals -- many of whom are not fit -- leave a lot to be desired. Vegas was ranked the ninth least healthy, fourth most stressful and seventh worst city for sleep by Sperling's Best Places, and it was ranked sixth least fit by AFI. The harsh reality of this desert town is that people go there to dehydrate, smoke, eat junk food, gamble, stress themselves out and do anything, but get a good night's rest -- all of which equal (sorry to say it) ugly. Also, the city is rife with bad hair days (4th worst in this survey), nasty teeth (see where they ranked on this list) leathery tans (thanks to year-round sunshine) and polluted air (it's No. 12 for ozone pollution!). Ugh, we shudder just thinking about it.
To determine who's the ugliest of them all, we looked at many studies and opinion polls on said undesirable qualities, from our own surveys like the Eight Cities with the Ugliest Guys (which considers how much sex the locals might not be having) to sources like Travel and Leisure Magazine, the American Fitness Index, U.S. News and World Report, Sperling's Best Places, Gallup, Men's Health and Forbes.com. We also looked up the birthplaces and residences of the ugliest celebrities named by The Good Surgeon Guide, AOL and by us in our personal list of ugly celeb guys. (To those who say, "but that's just, like, your opinion, man," we say, "okay, celebrities are usually somewhat attractive ... but have you SEEN these people?")
Finally, we compared the results and picked the cities that got the most mentions across the board. Ready for the results? Sit back, relax and see which not-so-hot spots made the list. If you live in one of these towns, you may want to pack your bags, or at least stock up on some quality hair care and skin care products -- stat.
