10 Worst Big City Downtowns in the U.S.

Counting down the 10 worst downtowns of U.S. big cities. I analyze whether or not the downtown is the focal point neighborhood in the city, if it accurately reflects the size of the city, and whether or not the downtown is a nice place to be for an event or just a walk around. Not all cities have equal central districts, and this video looks at the absolute worst in the country. Look for a separate video counting down the 10 Best big city downtowns.

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Album displayed:
Megadeth - "Rust In Peace" (1990)

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[cubersanonymous]

How is Atlanta not on the list? Mostly empty offices and a 14 lane highway going right through the center.

[MichaelSweet-nnbg]

The problem is that there are about 25 cities tied for #11 on this list.

Everyone thinks that their downtown is one of the best or one of the worst. Nobody thinks thinks their downtown is "pretty average".

[tososhin]

Strong disagree about using Rosslyn as the proxy downtown for DC. DC has its own downtown, and it's not the national mall. There's the Foggy Bottom area, Farrgut Square area, McPherson Square area, Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center area, and Gallery Place/Chinatown area that could all be considered a part of DC's downtown. It's very walkable and has a lot going on. No one from DC would consider the national mall to be downtown.

[dragonz]

as someone from the jacksonville metro, it’s genuinely shocking just how little there is to do in downtown jax

you’re only ever over there to go to a doctor’s appointment or to watch the jaguars score 3 points

[baritoneforyears]

Love all the new bumpers and new view of your office but my favorite addition is the Megadeth album getting a background role. Big fan, Kyle!

[architypeone]

Housing is the key to having a vibrant downtown. People have to live there so they can step out of their building or townhome and be within walking distance of restaurants and entertainment. Having people living downtown creates demand for shops, restaurants, bars, theater, and entertainment & sports venues. If people have to get in their car and drive downtown, find a parking space and then worry about having to drive back home after a night on the town, most will just stay home.

[MikeNaples]

I really don't know enough to rank those cities but believe Houston should at least get an honorable mention.

[Mark-uhun]

Jacksonville has one of the most depressing downtowns in any city in the US.

[inarchist]

Absolutely no way Dallas and Houston aren’t on the list.

[TheCoasterCraze]

Baltimore has some of the best architecture and walkabikity in the country, but it really hurts how few safe areas there are and how many businesses fled the city. Growing up nearby, I have a fondness for it and see the potential, but it just can never activate it without bringing back jobs

[bryanCJC]

Downtown LA is also in a weird location, it's not on the LA River and it's not in the middle of LA, it's in LA's extreme east, so the gravitas of LA is split between Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, and West LA. Even it's beautiful train station is off to the side, alone and across the freeway; disconnected from downtown. I lived in LA for half of my life in the 80s and 90s and I'm as big a LA booster as anyone but the reality is that while downtown LA "could" become a cool and lively place, the city just doesn't know how to do that organically and tries to force places to exist instead of letting downtown be what people want it to be. Right now it's just a place of little disjointed districts with nothing to bring them together, no cohesion, with pockets of character amid blocks of no-man's land. Am I talking about the LA of 1984 or 2024? Yes. People will say it's gotten better and so much has changed, which may be so but it's basically still the same.

It's stunning to me that the 2nd largest city in the US with a very lively and diverse entertainment and social scene has such a drab downtown. It's shocking.

But then again, that is what LA is all about, isn't it? Stage sets with nothing behind them. The universally hated Pershing Sq is a perfect example of a staged plaza that has had the soul programmed out of it and instead of creating something people want there, a shaded human scale plaza like what used to be there (before it was ripped out for the underground parking lot, which precludes any trees, in an attempt to imitate SF's Union Sq without the amenities around it, and refusing to take the parking out), the city is intending on another over-designed and lifeless plaza, a "forced" place. I live in Chicago now with one of the best downtowns in the world, and as much as it pains me, something LA will never likely come close to having.

[JakeTerch]

Hey Kyle, I have a video idea.
How about the top largest cities not located on/near a body of water (lake, river, bay, ocean)?

[JM-qbkd]

“One more lane bro, ” had me smirk and chuckle out loud. lol

Man i absolutely love the content on this channel, u do such an incredible job. I really appreciate the wide range of geographic and demographic topics. I’m always looking forward to the next video to come. Just wanted to say I wish u nothing but success, the passion and hard work absolutely shows!

[KyleMaxwell]

The fact that Dallas is not on here but DC/Rosslyn are really surprised me, as somebody who lives in the former and used to travel a LOT to the latter.

[Stuscott]

Resident of Florida here. You are spot on regarding Orlando and Jax. Orlando attempted to improve DT years ago but it failed due to traffic issues and inability to compete with theme parks. Jax has always been a horror show.

[johnsebastianbach]

I'm glad Vegas made this list. As a local, people don't realize how boring Las Vegas can be because it lacks things like a functioning exciting downtown.

[thepandaman]

Really excited for the "Best Downtowns" video! I'd also be interested to hear your opinion on which downtowns are doing the best to improve, like an "up and coming downtowns" sort of video

[pvad]

Kinda surprised San Jose, CA didn't make the list -- the downtown is very small and is majorly height-restricted due to the nearby airport. It's very empty outside of a few bars by the university, and there's not a lot of jobs in Downtown specifically -- most of the jobs are in sprawling tech campuses way out in the suburbs (Cupertino, Mountain View, Los Gatos, etc.)

I think your inclusion of DTLA is very fair, it is quite dirty and dilapidated. There are some areas of improvement -- the area by Staples Center has notably improved -- but a lot of Downtown is very underdeveloped and nasty. Century City and the Westside are the largest job centers in the city, and while city leadership has been trying to increase tourism in DTLA, it's not somewhere I'd recommend tourists to spend a lot of time in.

[jaycut]

Love your videos! One of my favorite geography channels. I will say, coming from a Phoenix resident, Downtown is definitely not the best it could be but I think you overlooked some amenities. Downtown Phoenix is home to the Diamondbacks and the Phx Suns, which are within walking distance from each other and entertainment. You also didn't mention Roosevelt Row or other areas that have quite a bit of revitalization in the last decade. Thanks for the great video and I still believe it belongs on this list.

[Carvello]

Simply fascinating. As a irelander whose been in 30 of your 50 states, I find your content to be 'narcotic' KEEP IT GOING KYLE