The Cities

The lifeblood of America, and any country really, is its bustling cities and the suburbs that surround them. I’m more of an open spaces person rather than someone who enjoys seeking out things to do in urban settings, but that doesn’t mean that the glittering lights and hustle and bustle of cities doesn’t hold a certain appeal. To that note, I’ve consulted a list of the top 100 cities in the U.S. by population (as of 2017) and compiled which ones I’ve made it to and/or through. The entire list is below, in order from the most populous city (NYC – almost DOUBLE the population of LA) to the 100th (Hello, Des Moines, Iowa). Cities I’ve been to are bolded and the 10 cities I’ve been to the most are also italicized. Those that I’ve spent the night in and stayed at feature an asterisk*. I’ve also included the date I first visited the city and last visited the city if I’ve been there more than once, and the number of times I’ve been there in parentheses if multiple visits have occurred. How many have you been to?

1. New York City* – September 2017
2. Los Angeles, California – June 2014
3. Chicago, Illinois* – Most recently: May 2019 (Too many times to count)
4. Houston, Texas
5. Phoenix, Arizona – December 2018
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania* – September 2017
7. San Antonio, Texas
8. San Diego, California
9. Dallas, Texas – January 2014
10. San Jose, California* – June 2014
11. Austin, Texas
12. Jacksonville, Florida* – December 2018
13. San Francisco, California – June 2014
14. Columbus, Ohio
15. Fort Worth, Texas – January 2014
16. Indianapolis, Indiana – June 1997/July 2018 (10+ times)
17. Charlotte, North Carolina – June 2016
18. Seattle, Washington* – June 2005/June 2014 (3 times, including the entire summer of 2005)
19. Denver, Colorado* – May 2014/March 2018 (3 times)
20. Washington, D.C. – July 2016
21. Boston, Massachusetts – August 2017
22. El Paso, Texas
23. Detroit, Michigan* – July 2015/July 2016 (Too many times to count – lived in Utica for 8 months from 8/15-3/16)
24. Nashville, Tennessee* – July 2016/December 2018 (4 times)
25. Memphis, Tennessee* – February 2014/January 2019 (3 times)
26. Portland, Oregon* – June 2014
27. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – January 2019
28. Las Vegas, Nevada* – April 2014/March 2019 (6 times)
29. Louisville, Kentucky* – June 1997/July 2018 (5 times)
30. Baltimore, Maryland – September 2017
31. Milwaukee, Wisconsin* – June 2001/June 2018 (20+ times)
32. Albuquerque, New Mexico* – March 2018/June 2019 (5 times)
33. Tucson, Arizona
34. Fresno, California* – June 2014
35. Sacramento, California
36. Mesa, Arizona – December 2018
37. Kansas City, Missouri* – October 2011/June 2019 (40+ times)
38. Atlanta, Georgia
39. Long Beach, California* – June 2014
40. Omaha, Nebraska* – March 2018/December 2018 (2 times)
41. Raleigh, North Carolina* – July 2016/December 2018 (2 times)
42. Colorado Springs, Colorado
43. Miami, Florida
44. Virginia Beach, Virginia* – March 2015/July 2016
45. Oakland, California – June 2014
46. Minneapolis, Minnesota* – July 2008/April 2019 (3 times)
47. Tulsa, Oklahoma – January 2019
48. Arlington, Texas* – January 2014
49. New Orleans, Louisiana* – December 2018
50. Wichita, Kansas* – June 2019
51. Cleveland, Ohio – July 2016/November 2017
52. Tampa, Florida
53. Bakersfield, California
54. Aurora, Colorado – May 2014/July 2017
55. Anaheim, California – June 2014
56. Honolulu, Hawaii
57. Santa Ana, California – June 2014
58. Riverside, California – June 2014
59. Corpus Christi, Texas
60. Lexington, Kentucky* – June 1997/July 2018 (4 times)
61. Stockton, California
62. St. Louis, Missouri* – April 2006/January 2019 (Too many times to count – Lived there from August-December 2008)
63. St. Paul, Minnesota – July 2008/April 2019 (3 times)
64. Henderson, Nevada – June 2014/March 2019 (3 times)
65. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania* – July 2016/September 2017 (2 times)
66. Cincinnati, Ohio* – July 2018
67. Anchorage, Alaska
68. Greensboro, North Carolina – July 2016/December 2018 (2 times)
69. Plano, Texas
70. Newark, New Jersey* – September 2017
71. Lincoln, Nebraska – March 2018
72. Orlando, Florida
73. Irvine, California – June 2014
74. Toledo, Ohio* – October 2015/November 2017 (4 times)
75. Jersey City, New Jersey – September 2017
76. Chula Vista, California
77. Durham, North Carolina – July 2016/December 2018 (2 times)
78. Fort Wayne, Indiana – October 2015
79. St. Petersburg, Florida
80. Laredo, Texas
81. Buffalo, New York
82. Madison, Wisconsin* – 1990/April 2019 (Too many times to count)
83. Lubbock, Texas
84. Chandler, Arizona – December 2018
85. Scottsdale, Arizona – December 2018
86. Reno, Nevada – June 2014
87. Glendale, Arizona – December 2018
88. Norfolk, Virginia – March 2015/July 2016 (2 times)
89. Winston-Salem, North Carolina – July 2016/December 2018 (2 times)
90. North Las Vegas, Nevada* – June 2014/March 2019 (4 times)
91. Gilbert, Arizona – December 2018
92. Chesapeake, Virginia – March 2015/July 2016 (2 times)
93. Irving, Texas – January 2014
94. Hialeah, Florida
95. Garland, Texas – January 2014
96. Fremont, California – June 2014
97. Richmond, Virginia – March 2015/July 2016 (2 times)
98. Boise, Idaho
99. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
100. Des Moines, Iowa – August 2016/June 2019 (50+ times)
101. (Bonus) Spokane, Washington – June 2014