‘Study’ says Warren is 1 of nation’s least glamorous cities -- and I kind of agree

Warren ranked No. 2 least glamorous in US

City of Warren

WARREN, Mich. – A lawn care company has ranked the city of Warren as the nation’s No. 2 least glamorous city.

Yes, you read that right. A startup called LawnStarter has taken it upon themselves to determine which of the major U.S. cities are the most glamorous based on categories like status and wealth, fine dining, beauty, fashion and entertainment -- all things clearly related to lawn care. Landscaping wasn’t even among the criteria considered.

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As you may or may not know, those of us in newsrooms are inundated with “studies” like this constantly. We get lists of the best and worst things from food, to airlines, to celebrity workout routines. Sometimes they come from reputable sources that we trust ... but sometimes, not so much.

For example: Yelp’s list of best pizza omits all Detroit spots, is garbage, belongs in trash can

Now, I’m not necessarily saying LawnStarter’s methodology isn’t reputable (their sources seem credible), but why is a landscaping company even spending its time doing research on glamour? And can I trust their analysis of seemingly-credible data as lawn care experts? I don’t know who works there or what their backgrounds are. The author of the study’s article was even only identified as “staff writer.”

You can see why I’m skeptical.

But, sometimes, we share studies with you because we think they may be relevant, or fun. This study particularly stuck out to me as a Warren native.

Though I don’t really believe in this study, and I’m not suggesting that anyone should ... their ranking of Warren as the second-least glamorous city is definitely on point.

Warren is lame, though

The study found that the most glamorous U.S. cities are (surprise) New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Chicago. The least glamorous city is apparently West Valley City, Utah.

The study only looked at the top 200 major U.S. cities, so I’m certain that among the more than 100,000 cities and towns in the nation, some are lacking more in the glamour department than Warren is.

Still, Warren is one of the least exciting big cities in the state of Michigan, for sure. It was a decent place to grow up, has decent schools, and I’ll always love my childhood homes ... but it’s really just a place for people to live. There’s nothing special about it.

In LawnStarter’s study, Warren ranked 197th out of 200 in entertainment. This is absolutely accurate. Warren is really only comprised of residential neighborhoods, businesses and the GM Tech Center. That’s it.

Want something to do? Go to the movies, the gym or the bar. Otherwise, you’ll want to venture elsewhere.

The city ranked similarly low in beauty, fashion, fine dining and wealth categories, which doesn’t come as a surprise. You won’t really find any luxury spas or clothing stores, plastic surgeons or gourmet food in the 34-square-mile city.

And while “fine dining” is not the only criteria to determine good food in an area, Warren doesn’t really have either. Like anywhere, you can find some gems in Warren, but most of the food selection is generic and mediocre.

No hate to the people of Warren -- I’m one of you. But definitely some hate toward the city itself, because it’s flat, drab and boring.

Here’s hoping the city really does try to build a downtown area. That’d be something, at least.

Click here to read the LawnStarter study for yourself, if you feel so inclined.

Do you know of any Warren gems that can benefit skeptics like me? Feel free to share in the comments below.

And if you like fun data that comes from credible sources, check out our weekly-ish Data Drop newsletter! Click here to sign up, or use the form below.


About the Author:

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.