romance

Where in America Are We Desperate for Romance?

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If you can peruse someone’s refrigerator for compatible snack tastes, can you measure sex appeal using Amazon purchase history? Is your love object buying a Blu-ray copy of Transformers and a manual about the Paleo diet or some D. H. Lawrence and a CD by the xx? Does it matter, if sexiness is in the eyes of the beholder?

Well, regardless, that’s not the goal of city-ranking listicles. And so, with their wealth of knowledge, the powerful people of Amazon have decided to calculate which city in America is the most romantic. And what city have we at the top of the ranking? Please give a warm, sly smile to San Antonio, Texas — which edges out two-time winner Knoxville, Tennessee. New York City and San Buenaventura, California, were named the least romantic cities across this loving land. 

How did Amazon reach these conclusions? They taking the cheese-town approach to romantic times: Amazon tallied romance novels, “relationship books,” romantic comedies, sexual-wellness products (what a euphemism, congratulations), as well as romantic music (of the kind made by Dean Martin, Barry White, and Luther Vandross). One could argue that by these criteria, these are the cities aren’t the most romantic; they’re just the most desperate. 

Here’s the full ranking:

1. San Antonio, Texas

2. Seattle

3. Knoxville, Tennessee

4. Miami

5. Alexandria, Virginia

6. Orlando, Florida

7. Vancouver, Washington

8. Cincinnati

9. Spokane, Washington

10. Dayton, Ohio

11. Columbia, South Carolina

12. San Jose, California

13. Murfreesboro, Tennessee

14. Round Rock, Texas

15. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

16. Las Vegas

17. Pittsburgh

18. Everett, Washington

19. Erie, Pennsylvania

20. Clearwater, Florida

Where in America Are We Desperate for Romance?