The Best Cities for Single Girls

We've crunched the numbers on some critical stats—like ratio of men to women (natch!)—to find five great places to be a single lady right now.

Claim to fame: BBQ joints and South by Southwest.
Little-known fact: It’s the fastest- growing city in the U.S., with the most live-music venues per capita.
Where you’ll work: Tech firms like Dell, UT Austin, and the state of Texas (it’s the capital).
Where you’ll hang: Bars on East Sixth Street, like East Side Showroom, and on South Congress, like Crow Bar, are “laid-back, not gross and cruise-y,” says Amanda, 36.
Oddball date: Head to Congress Avenue Bridge to see millions of bats congregate at sundown.
Insider tip: Live shows are a “great place to meet people,” says Amanda. Men are there to see music and have conversations, not just to get laid (though there’s that, too!).
Guy you'll meet: He's got "neck tattoos and good manners," says Machell, 40.

By The Numbers

Ratio: 1.152 men per 1 woman
Well-being: 34th out of 189 metro areas
Unemployment: 5.1 percent
Wage gap: -17¢
Violent crime: 4.09 per 1,000 people

Claim to fame: Down-to-earth residents and a plethora of lakes.
Little-known fact: It’s been rated the fittest city in America three years in a row.
Where you'll work: There’s a healthy finance sector and a growing biomedical industry, plus the HQs of Target and Aveda.
Where you'll eat: The Twin Cities are a foodie paradise, from the James Beard– nominated Butcher & the Boar to the much-hyped Heyday.
Where you’ll hang: Young singles congregate in the Whittier neighborhood, at chill bars like Eat Street Social and quality thrift stores like The Lost & Found.
Oddball date: Head to Wabasha Street Caves, a Prohibition-era club built into the sandstone, for live music and dancing.
Insider tip: Compared with the Coasts, it's a "friendly dating culture," says Laura, 30. And it may be their Scandinavian roots, but men here seem "noticeably taller."
Guy you'll meet: He's "beardy, charming, and active," says Mandy, 25.

By The Numbers