Florida is no stranger to extremes—just ask the latest rankings from FinanceBuzz, which placed Miami near the top of its list of most exciting U.S. cities… and Jacksonville dead last.
According to the study, which evaluated 75 of the country’s largest cities based on nightlife, restaurants, attractions, events and outdoor offerings, Miami scored a sizzling 71.7 out of 100—second only to Atlanta. The city earned high marks for its Michelin-decorated dining scene, robust international tourism and sheer volume of things to do, from live sports to buzzing nightlife. (No surprise to anyone who’s tried getting a dinner reservation during Art Basel.)
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Meanwhile, Jacksonville was handed the unfortunate crown of “most boring” city in the country, with an anemic score of just 14.3. Despite being the largest U.S. city by area, it has relatively sparse density—and the stats reflect it: The city has the third-lowest rate of nightclubs, fourth-lowest number of concert venues per capita and a whopping 54% of its restaurants are chains. The report politely called it a place where “things to do” are few and far between.
Another Florida city, Tallahassee, also landed in the snoozefest zone at No. 9. Despite being a major college town, it has zero award-winning restaurants and one of the lowest attraction counts per capita.
But not every corner of the Sunshine State is dozing off. Orlando claimed the No. 4 spot in the “most exciting” ranks, thanks to its theme park empire and impressive attraction-to-resident ratio. It even beat New York City in the “things to do” category.
If your idea of a good time involves late-night ceviche, rooftop cocktails and dancing till sunrise, Miami’s your move. But if your plans involve exploring Jacksonville…you might want to pack a book. Or two.