Detroit Ranks as One of America’s Least-Fun Cities

There's always more fun to be had elsewhere. According to a recent study, that's certainly the case for Detroit.

Now, I, like you, have been to Detroit and have had plenty of fun there. The city is on an upswing. While the rough reputation the city has received over the years will take a long time to shake, Detroit deserves a few pats on the back for where it's headed.

Truthfully, there's plenty to do in most cities, especially those as big as Detroit. Fun is what you make of it, and much of that is subjective. After all, not everyone sees a night out with drinks as fun, as some take more pleasure in recreational activities during the daytime. Still, a city with a sprawling and entertaining nightlife usually garners a much better reputation.

For instance, the number one most fun city in America according to WalletHub's study is Las Vegas. Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, San Francisco and New Orleans complete the top six, all of which ranked in the top six for their nightlife.

Overall, the Midwest, and even the northern half of the country as a whole, really struggled in this study. Chicago is the highest-ranking city that isn't in a sunshine-filled city in the southern half of the country at No. 8. New York City is the only other city in the top 10 north of Atlanta.

WalletHub ranked 180 cities in all, and Detroit landed about halfway down the list at 81. Relative to its size, Detroit took a tough hit. As the 29th largest city in America by population, Detroit didn't rank higher than any larger city. Detroit is surrounded on the list by cities that are half its size. The only comparable city ranked near Detroit is Baltimore at 72.

Detroit's poor ranking is largely due to having few entertainment and recreational activities and the cost of doing much of anything. Detroit ranked 112th for how expensive it is to have fun in the city and 85th for its options in recreation and entertainment. The nightlife in Detroit still didn't fare great, but landing at 55th, there is plenty of room for growth.

Below is a ranking of how Midwest cities in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio stack up against each other and the rest of the country. The entire WalletHub study can be seen here.