Worst City For Dating?

Rev · Post by **Rev** » Wed May 05, 2004 8:10 am

According to Sperling's Best Places, Kansas City is the worst city in the country for dating. Followed by Wichita???

http://houseandhome.msn.com/move/BestCi ... ating.aspx

One thing I noticed. Part of the criteria was percentage of singles 18-24. So college towns got a BIG boost.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Wed May 05, 2004 8:25 am

Austin is the city list darling......

file this with all the other lists....because we all know # of coffee shops is very important in the dating scene.

Rev · Post by **Rev** » Wed May 05, 2004 8:51 am

KCPowercat wrote:....because we all know # of coffee shops is very important in the dating scene.

I thought that was great criteria also. [/sarcasm]

KC has a couple of things working against it on this list. First it's not just a college town (see Ann Arbor). And second, people get married at a younger age around here than say, San Diego.

Slappy the Wang · Post by **Slappy the Wang** » Wed May 05, 2004 9:46 am

I would have guessed Baltimore would have been the best. It has the nations highest percentage of STD's....you'd think the two would coincide.

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Wed May 05, 2004 9:51 am

Rev wrote:And second, people get married at a younger age around here than say, San Diego.

Jeez, how old are they marrying in San Diego then? Most of my friends are in their 30s and still dating, never married. The few people I know who did marry in their 20s married in their late 20s and about half of those are divorced already and dating again.

Post by **staubio** » Wed May 05, 2004 9:59 am

I'm also quite annoyed with these rankings.

Keep in mind that they are built from data the represents a snap-shot in time. The data is old and there was lag when the data was collected. I see Kansas City's demographics changing rapidly and there is no way this is captured when using census and CDC data that is probably dated.

Also, Kansas City's large geographic area skews the numbers. Many cities on the list probably don't have the mass of families and suburban-like developement in their cities proper. If we compared midtown/downtown alone to the other cities, I think we'd fare much better. Throw the Northland in and of course we've got far fewer bars, coffee shops and hookups per capita.

There are so many variables that it drives me insane. The only thing that really bothers me is that people might take these things seriously or that they might perpetuate themselves. As a single guy in KC, I'm quite tired of hearing how hopeless everything is based on a dated analysis of questionably relevant data from some deoderant company somewhere.

Apples and oranges, really. I feel quite positively for Kansas City as it emerges as a better and better city by the month and I'm along for the ride, even though this list tells me I have to move to Austin to get a date.

ignatius · Post by **ignatius** » Thu May 06, 2004 12:12 am

Read the article. The one reason KC scored the lowest was because they say KC ranks highest in per capita divorce.

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Thu May 06, 2004 12:26 am

ignatius wrote:Read the article. The one reason KC scored the lowest was because they say KC ranks highest in per capita divorce.

I read the article. The word "divorce" appears nowhere in it at all, nor does it offer any explanation for why it listed KC dead last.

If anything, divorces free up more singles. So for the purposes of finding dates, that would technically be a plus.

Also I'd take with a grain of salt any statistical analysis calculated by a site that lists the 64105 zip code's neighborhood type as "suburban" in its Neighborhood Profiles section.

KCK · Post by **KCK** » Thu May 06, 2004 8:00 am

Ok, if we rate so high in divorce in KC, the dating pool should be enlarged by all of the new divorcees

Also how can Austin be so great for dating if it is also like so highly rated by homosexuals. I mean that doesn't help my chances of getting a date in Austin at all. (no offense)

Post by **chrizow** » Thu May 06, 2004 10:04 am

Austin is like a gigantic college town (because, well, it IS). but in addition to UT, the city itself attracts tons of young single people. i am not surprised it is at the top of the list.

KC is probably ok, but the scene seems to be pretty homogenous. either youre puking on your shoes at XO or youre hoping to bump into someone at Muddy's. i havent really "dated" in KC but that's what i gather. if you're not in the Meathead/TrophyWife pool, it's pretty hard.

i for one don't go for the anorexic blondes doing the Handbag Dance, but more power to those that are. i'll just have to keep skulking around the Nelson's Sculpture Garden...heheh.

honestly, from what i understand, KC has a good dating scene if you're gay. the gay dating scene seems much more healthy in KC than the hetero scene. this might just be a product of the company i keep though.

Post by **bahua** » Fri May 07, 2004 2:32 pm

Every city has lots of young single people, at least in the area. It's just that in KC, they mostly seem to be living in drive-up apartments in JoCo, which keeps them basically off the streets in the city, and largely out of the dating scene.

Post by **bahua** » Fri May 07, 2004 2:35 pm

RE: anorexic blondes,

I loves me a woman with a little bit of meat stinking out between her shirt and her pants, and blondes are trouble, because 95% of blondes are really brunettes who think it's better to be blonde.

Slappy the Wang · Post by **Slappy the Wang** » Sat May 08, 2004 4:26 pm

bahua wrote:RE: anorexic blondes,

I loves me a woman with a little bit of meat stinking out between her shirt and her pants, and blondes are trouble, because 95% of blondes are really brunettes who think it's better to be blonde.

Dude, eating disorder chicks are bad news. You don't want some chick who throws up all the time. If Lewinski had left a barf stain on Bill's trousers instead of getting a goo stain on the blue dress...well, skip it, but stay away from sick chicks.

Electric_Cactus · Post by **Electric_Cactus** » Sun May 09, 2004 1:28 pm

I agree with what Bahua said, about the young people living in drive-up apartments in Johnson County.

A good friend of mine sells insurance in Midtown KC. He's 34 and has connections everywhere through his job. He calls Kansas City a "retirement city." I believe him, even though that might be changing slowly.

Now i'm not in retirement, but honestly...I don't really meet a lot of "single" younger people either. I like to think I get out pretty often, and I do the Westport scene every now and then as well. But I'll be damned if I'm going to look for a girlfriend (even a friend, for that matter) at XO or America's Pub...lol

TheDude · Post by **TheDude** » Mon May 10, 2004 1:08 pm

all ya need to do for a date in this town is cruise Indy Ave or West Bottoms with a $20 bill; you will still have $5 left over for a #2 @ McD's on the way home.

Electric_Cactus · Post by **Electric_Cactus** » Mon May 10, 2004 3:27 pm

That's not a date! It's an excuse to go to the doctor for emergency STD testing.

Post by **staubio** » Mon May 10, 2004 3:55 pm

Electric_Cactus wrote:I agree with what Bahua said, about the young people living in drive-up apartments in Johnson County.

A good friend of mine sells insurance in Midtown KC. He's 34 and has connections everywhere through his job. He calls Kansas City a "retirement city." I believe him, even though that might be changing slowly.

Now i'm not in retirement, but honestly...I don't really meet a lot of "single" younger people either. I like to think I get out pretty often, and I do the Westport scene every now and then as well. But I'll be damned if I'm going to look for a girlfriend (even a friend, for that matter) at XO or America's Pub...lol

I have the same thought about XO and America's Pub... but look at you, you are going there.

There is bound to be anomolies.

Perhaps this is the problem. Stop going to America's Pub. There are excellent places with more appealing clientele. Why do we doom ourselves to mediocrity by acting as if Westport is our only choice? Westport is where uninformed or unimaginative people go to get hammered. I've met a lot more people by simply branching out. Spend some time on the Main Street corridor in the Crossroads or in the River Market. The crowds are much more professional and much more polished. I would most certainly go on a date with a girl I met at Harry's Country Club, Kabal, Bulldog or Bar Natasha.

I think the drive-up aspect is changing in some respects, just as the city begins to gain in popularity. Are any of us really interested in girls that feel compelled to live in the suburbs in the first place? I consider that an effective filtering mechanism.

I REFUSE TO ACCEPT that Kansas City is an impossible place for a young single person. You get what you expect.

MidtownGrrl · Post by **MidtownGrrl** » Mon May 10, 2004 4:01 pm

There seems to be a bit of a pickup scene at Davey's when I've been there for shows. I've been partnered for long time now, and we go there for the music, but we always seem to catch a bit of the Kansas City mating ritual.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Mon May 10, 2004 11:10 pm

Electric_Cactus wrote:But I'll be damned if I'm going to look for a girlfriend (even a friend, for that matter) at XO or America's Pub...lol

C'mon now, I met my beautiful lil' wife at America's Pub! Although that place sucks, I guess it was good for something.

Problem is that most of these girls are either plastic snobs or fat bitches with kids already. It's difficult to find a good wholesome, college educated, down-to-earth, cute alternative chic that isn't a lesbian in KC.

MidtownGrrl · Post by **MidtownGrrl** » Tue May 11, 2004 9:28 am

Problem is that most of these girls are either plastic snobs or fat bitches with kids already. It's difficult to find a good wholesome, college educated, down-to-earth, cute alternative chic that isn't a lesbian in KC.

Stellar attitude. Iâ€™m so sorry Iâ€™m not single and canâ€™t experience this firsthand. No wonder my non-lesbian â€œcollege educated, down-to-earth, cute alternative chicâ€