Top 10 Cities Under 500k In Which To Build A Dating Site Around

August 2, 2008 · by Scott

TrendDomaining.com Dating Cities I’m presenting to you a top 10 list where every entry is on one page! For the win!

The reason why I’m limiting this list to cities with a population under 500k is because common sense comes in to play. Though Hoboken has the highest percentage of singles in the U.S., there is no comparison when you consider cities with large populations like New York, Chicago or even Portland.

So by limiting this list to smaller cities, I’m weeding out obvious choices and venturing into bargain territory.

The criteria I’m using are:

Population. City needs to be large enough.
Number of singles. Singles attract singles!
Nightlife and Activities. Things people do or go to on dates, such as restaurants, bars and theaters.
Job Growth. This is important as it can bring in new people.
Cost of living (CoL). Again, something that will attract new people.
Proximity. I’m including metro areas (thus will make some above 500k) and bonus points for being very close to other large cities.
Youth. Though I’m not excluding older people, the youth replenish the dating pool and are more tech savvy.
The domain. Sorry RanchoCucamongaDating.com, you simply don’t roll off the tongue very well.

Most “top cities for singles” lists are heavy on college towns. But I feel that college towns should be penalized to the point of being completely excluded due to the fact that (most) students are often single by choice; their primary concern is their education. So it’s of my opinion that college towns are highly overrated for singles. I’m applying this exclusion to cities like Ann Arbor and Cambridge, whose population is almost completely influenced by their universities. I’m not applying this to cities that have small campuses or satellites of universities since every city has these.

I aimed for cities with singles who actually live in the city, and thus would find value in, and pay, for a local dating site. In other words, I wanted to avoid spring break and party towns known for tourists, such as South Padre Island and Las Vegas, respectively.

So without further ado, my top 10 cities under 500k in which to build a dating site around:

10 - Orlando, FL - 220k people

Orlando is known for its tourist destinations. But what most don’t know is that this is a decent sized, racially diverse city with plenty for locals to do. It has one of the largest malls in the country and a diverse business industry that’s strong in popular fields like technology and moviemaking (with no income tax). It’s economy is solid year after year, and has very affordable housing when comparing it to the national average.

9 - Lexington, KY - 270k

The biggest attraction is the CoL as it’s one the lowest on this list. Lexington had it’s biggest growth spurt in the 80’s, and it’s been slowly climbing since. Though not flashy, or racially diverse like some of the other cities on this list, Lexington still has culture with plenty of music, festivals, theater, events and fairs. And horses! Detailed urban planning and strict zoning laws have preserved historic Lexington. The city is technology and medical oriented, two industries that show no signs of dying off.

8 - Miami, FL - 404k

Miami is one of the cities that breaks barriers: it’s a tourist and college town, yet it’s large population consists of hardcore locals that love to party and a participate in it’s thriving, clean nightlife scene. The overall cost of living and expensive housing prevents this from being higher on the list.

7 - Henderson, NV - 240k

Henderson has been one of the fastest growing cities in the country, with it’s population growing 66% since 2000; for an already large city this is amazing. A very short drive to Las Vegas helped get Henderson onto this list. It seems to find its way onto best places to live lists; in 2006, it was ranked 20th overall and 3rd among large cities by CNN Money. With the overall growth rate and no income tax, this city is very attractive for those looking for employment. Henderson is also packed with bars, having 50% more than the average town.

6 - Madison, WI - 223k

The census says that about 43% of Madison’s population are single, ranking it 25th in the U.S. Madison is also right on the water. Four complete seasons provide year-round recreation. In 1995, CNN Money ranked it as the #1 best place to live, and, relatively, it hasn’t faltered much: ranking 55th in 2005, 53rd in 2006 and 89th in 2008. That’s impressive to be that consistent over 13 years.

Named a top green city and top healthy city year after year, the Wisconsin capital is quite liberal; being listed among the most gay-friendly cities to live in. The famously great education system attracts new people and keeps the locals, well, local. 48% of the population over the age of 25 has a bachelors degree or higher.

5 - Minneapolis, MN - 372k

Like Madison, the census says that roughly 46% of Minneapolis’ population are single, ranking it 11th in the U.S. But with the CoL at 110% of the national average, it kept this city from being higher on the list. Lying on the Mississippi river, Minneapolis is a great recreation city with pleasant summers and cold snowy winters.

It is second only to NYC in theaters per capita and has a vibrant local band scene. There is no gender gap, as the men to women ratio is almost equal. Minneapolis was ranked the 5th best city for young professionals by Forbes and has the highest concentration of “top companies” in the U.S. Oh, and there is that Mall of America nearby.

4 - Atlanta, GA - 486k

Census says that roughly 45% of Atlanta’s population are single, ranking it 13th in the U.S. Atlanta has become a popular destination for young people looking for a warm, but not outrageously hot, climate that doesn’t kill their wallets. Forbes has named it the 8th best restaurant city and 4th best singles city(as did Dating Weblog), while Maxim has named it the 7th best party city and AmericanStyle named it 8th as an Arts destination among mid-sized cities.

3 - Colorado Springs, CO - 372k

BestPlaces.net lists it as the second best city for dating. It was CNN Money’s #1 best place to live among big cities as recently as 2006, and Men’s Health’s #1 city for… dogs. It ranks as Kiplinger’s 5th best place to live, work and play in 2008. It’s second only to Raleigh as the chic choice in top 10 lists for 2008. It’s housing is 85% of the national average, and overall CoL is 93%.

2 - Raleigh, NC - 356k

Raleigh has been one of the lucky areas to not be as hard hit by the housing market crash. Duke (Durham) and UNC (Chapel Hill) are near, but aren’t the reason (well, not directly) for the large population of the North Carolina capital; a population that has increased by 36% since 2000, and the job market is keeping up with it.

Though the city attracts many educated young people after they graduate from aforementioned schools, they’re not ALL youngins. Raleigh has quietly surpassed St. Louis, Minneapolis, Tampa, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in municipal population and is a chic choice right now as you can find it on just about every “top 10″ list out there, including the 2nd best place to live, work and play in 2008, according to Kiplinger.

1 - Chandler, AZ - 240k

It was really difficult to choose between the cities within the hugely popular and bustling Phoenix area: Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Glendale and Peoria. You really can’t go wrong with any of them. The job growth here is some of the best in the nation, including the popular tech and biotech jobs. The population is deceptively huge (Maricopa county is the 4th largest in the U.S.) and still growing at one of the fastest rates in the nation. The cost of living is just below the national average, but it is rising due to wealthy Californians arriving in droves.

I narrowed it down to Chandler and Scottsdale. Chandler is much more affordable (don’t read this as ghetto, the city is *new*) than Scottsdale, which is swanky. And they’re just 15 minutes apart. Scottsdale routinely makes best places to live lists, but Chandlers CoL beats it out on my list.

Things to note:

This is only my opinion. There are many other cities that could just as easily been argued onto this list. I just used the 10 that I felt had the best chance for success and personally would do if I were to make a dating site.
The population numbers may be a tad off. Different sites report different numbers. But with populations this large, being 10k off isn’t a big deal. I pulled mine from CNN Money.
Before you say that I listed a couple college towns when I said I wouldn’t, the reason is that those schools don’t make up a large percentage of residents within those towns.
I’ve never actually been to any of these cities. This was concluded from hours of reading and research. Speaking of…

To show that I didn’t just throw crap into a list, I have more references: