Don’t come to Jacksonville looking for a wild time — at least that’s what FinanceBuzz is claiming. In a brand-new report, they officially dubbed Jax the “most boring city” in America, ranking it dead last out of the 75 largest U.S. cities on their “excitement scale.”
Ouch.
The rankings were based on things like culture, nightlife, population makeup, outdoor activities, and food. Jacksonville earned a paltry excitement score of 14.3 out of 100, with especially low marks in nightlife, culinary scene, and overall “things to do.”
According to the report, part of the problem is Jax’s size: we’re 875 square miles wide — the largest city in America by land — but only 10th in population size. That wide sprawl makes it harder to support a dense nightlife scene or pack in entertainment hotspots. FinanceBuzz even called us out for:
- Having the third-most chain restaurants
- Third-fewest nightclubs
- And the fourth-lowest number of concert venues per capita
And to make matters worse? They took a jab at the Jaguars, who went 4-13 last season and have only had six winning seasons since 2000. (Rude... but okay.)
Visit Jacksonville’s Katie Mitura disagrees with the label altogether, noting that nightlife and culinary experiences are exactly where the city is putting in work.
“We’re in the middle of a full-court press on those areas. If they ran this survey again in a year or two, I think we’d land in a whole new place,” she said.
She also pointed to the beaches, outdoor life, fishing, and family-friendly fun — none of which showed up in the survey.
“Is that something that makes us boring? Maybe. But is it something we love? Absolutely,” Mitura said.
Even Mayor Donna Deegan’s office responded, calling the survey “uninformed,” and highlighting efforts to revitalize downtown and attract young professionals.
We weren’t the only Florida city on the “snooze list” — Tallahassee ranked #9 with a 20.5 excitement score (FSU going 2–10 last season didn’t help). Meanwhile, Miami came in 2nd and Orlando 4th for most exciting cities, thanks to high ratings in food, nightlife, and of course, Disney and Universal.
💬 So what do YOU think? Are we really boring — or do we call it chill vibes with hidden gems? Sound off in the comments or call the show — we’re shouting out the best takes all week on WAPE!