The 10 worst big cities in the US, according to Reddit

Every city has its charms.

A city like New York or Los Angeles has a bunch of attractions, museums, and other places to visit, but the cities are also some of the more expensive places to live in the US.

On the other hand, areas like Houston, Texas, or East St.Louis, Illinois, can help people get more bang for their buck, but they come with their own downsides.

There isn't such a thing as the perfect city, as every place has strengths and weaknesses.

However, this may have some people wondering: What are some of the absolute "worst" big cities to stumble upon while in the US?

People on Reddit decided to weigh in, sharing their negative experiences visiting, living in, or things they've heard from others about cities.

Read on to see what the upvoted top 10 worst cities in the US are according to the social platform.

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Stockton, California

Despite being located in California’s Central Valley and having an abundance of nature and museums filled with fine art and local history, people say serial killers are on the loose.

"My city, Stockton, California. Finally got another serial killer captured a few weeks ago. Don't get me started on the speed freak killers. City has a real population of around 420k, 60k are homeless. The last three mayors have been arrested during or after their term. City council is a farce. PD, holy s*** of s*** shows." - u/Technical-Report-507.

Bakersfield, California

This city sits just north of Los Angeles, one of America's most well-known cities. However, locals believe its somewhere to be avoided altogether - despite being rich with nature.

"Ah yes, affectionately called the armpit of California (by my dad and I)." - u/mangagirl07

Camden, New Jersey

Camden is home to Rutgers University - Camden, and was founded as South Jersey Law School in New Jersey in the mid-1920s and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, whose doors opened in 2012. Although there is a collegiate air to the city, some believe it is dangerous.

"I live an hour from Philly and had to explain this to my wife several times about Camden. She didn't believe me until I ran a red there in front of a cop and nothing happened. She didn't understand then how dangerous Camden can be." - u/StoryAccomplished938

Houston, Texas

The city in the Lone Star state is known to have glorious weather all year round, great job opportunities, low cost of living, and zero income tax - but also high crime rates and sprawl.

"A neighborhood in Houston where my parents lived really went downhill. When they would go out of town, I would stay at [the] house so it would not be cleaned out. One weekend I hit the floor so many times when the gunshots were close. I really had no idea I could move that fast. I suddenly was on the floor."- u/FunZookeepergame627.

"Houston's always been a little weird. Yeah, there are bad neighborhoods, but in some areas, it's just street by street. You're perfectly safe going down Street A or C, but if you go down street B at night, you're going to have a bad time."- u/Notinyourbushes.

East St. Louis, Illinois

East St. Louis was once a robust industrial town that was built by the “great capitalists,” including Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan. But now, a lot of businesses are abandoned and crime has increased.

"Stopped once for gas. Didn't think I was going to make it back on 55," u/Nature_Goulet.

Crazy amounts of crime, decrepit businesses, broken down neighborhoods, more crackdens than anything else. It's rare to have a night without sirens and gunshots. Would rather take my chances in most war zones than in East St. Louis, and I'm a native."- u/cbb88christian.

Jackson, Mississippi

As the state's capital, people are concerned about the low education and murder rate.

"Very high murder rate, low education, failing infrastructure. EDIT: yes, I know Jackson isn't a very big city. It just sticks out as being in bad shape."- u/Cute-King5456

"This is place is by far the worst place I have ever been in the USA. It's like they literally just stopped funding anything in 1970. It's actually f****** really bizarre…" - u/MrMessy

Miami, Florida

With gorgeous beaches and a bustling night life, Miami can be deemed the place to go out, relax and have fun - but not all neighbourhoods in the city are good.

"Anywhere outside of the nightlife scene is absolutely dangerous. For example, Wynwood, the art district, is LITERALLY in the middle of one of the worst possible neighborhoods. You enter or exit Wynwood from the wrong direction, don't stop and wait at red lights." u/EmployeeRadiant

Charleston, West Virginia

As the state's capital with a spectacular view of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, people think it became a dead zone with poor infrastructure.

"Used to be so vibrant and bustling was supposed to become NYC in the mountains is now a dead zone with a struggling infrastructure and an economy that can't keep itself afloat. Add on the homeless problem, which makes all of downtown look like a giant skid row."- u/_elbon_22.

Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is the most populous city in Maryland, and is notorious for its crime rate which ranks well above the national average.

"One example; while driving, every stoplight seems to require an interaction with two young entrepreneurs spraying raw sewage onto your windshield with a spray bottle and then aggressively demanding money to wipe it off." - u/whenisnowthen

Binghamton, New York

Home to Binghamton University, the top-ranked university in the state, people seem to find it depressing with all the rain.

"10th rainiest city in the US, 7th cloudiest. But at least you get some spiedies there. Use to be a fairly decent place, but like much of upstate NY the economy really dried up (Endicott-Johnson shoes and IBM were both big there). Really the University is the best thing there now." - u/Anthroman78.

"Ugh, went to undergrad in Binghamton. People love to say it's in the top 5 most depressing places in the country — they're probably right." - u/Kittehhh.

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