whether they had at least one drink of alcohol within the past 30 days; whether men had more than two drinks per day or women one drink per day; and whether they had five or more drinks on one occasion. In each case, higher-ranking cities reported larger percentages of their population answering in the affirmative.
Of course, as Forbes notes, a better "hard drinkin'" rank doesn't mean your city is a "den of debauchery," and "just downing a few cold ones doesn't make a person irresponsible." Well, like, duh...
America's Hard-Drinking Cities [Forbes]
(Photo: Paxton Holley )
I would have to agree with a few of the other posts... Seriously Forbes? Las Vegas the city where every casino offers continuous FREE drinking. Vegas cocktail waitress: "I see you're playing nickel slots, Thank you and here's your complementary Long Island Iced Tea, sir!"
I guess when they decided to make the movie "Leaving Las Vegas", with Nicholas Cage drinking his self to death in Las Vegas, they should have requested the list from Forbes first.
@Alex Chasick: Figures. If they'd expanded their criteria I would be shocked if Anchorage wasn't #1. You can't turn around here without spotting a Brown Jug. The amount of collective alcohol consumption that must be taking place to keep them all in business is simply staggering.
But when you're talking about a city mostly surrounded by wilderness, whose 260,000 people are half the entire population of a state that's two-and-a-half times bigger than Texas, well...there's not a lot else to do, except go fishing, which obviously coincides with drinking anyway.
]]>Aside from Detroit and one or two others, this list would probably mirror "number of colleges per capita."
]]>Grew up in Pittsburgh...currently live in Cleveland. I need to drink a lot more to be able to live here.
]]>We had a Schlitz-themed party in May, and it was not pretty. We actually got a keg of Old Style to supplement the Schlitz due to the latter's grossness. I really like their scary cougar mountain man advertisements and really wanted to like the beer, but it tasted like old socks and canned green beans.
Maybe we got the new formula though, rather than the re-introduced old one.
]]>Seriously, I can understand New York City not landing in the top 15. But the conspicuous absence of New Orleans? The same city where people parade in the Krewe de Vieux drunk and where ID is never checked (except at touristy places)
]]>I call foul.
Later,
Chrome...
I doubt this will even make the paper in San Francisco. Like, duh, we know.
]]>17? "Most hardest"? Have we been drinking hard already today?
]]>SAN FRANCISCO FUCK YEAH I'M DRUNK RIGHT NOW
]]>@Ubik2501: My brother lives in NW IN, and I can attest to that fact that there's not much else to do.
]]>...In all seriousness, Chicago's placing doesn't surprise me, but there's actually a lot to do here besides get wasted. If you count Northwest Indiana as part of Chicago, though, I'm surprised we're not #1, since there really is nothing else to do there.
]]>But yeah, it seems to be what everyone does in MA. People talk about going to the bar or club or out for happy hour. I actually went for a job interview once and the woman interviewing her said "Oh, we go out for happy hour, are you into that?" which I responded with "I don't drink." Strangely I didn't get the job. ;)
I also remember at work a woman was bragging how she threw a drinking party for her daughter (who was 16 at the time) and she didn't understand why I was horrified at the idea.
Oh well, such is the world.
]]>I agree. Nuts.
]]>Honestly, I have found Boston to be way uptight with booze in comparison to the MKE.
Never been to Austin. I think I need to go.
]]>I'm not surprised at any of them - Austin especially - they have the highest percentage of people 25-34 of any city in the country, AND one of the largest universities in the country.
Chicago and Pittsburgh are home of corner bars and drinking marathons during the Bears or Steelers games. Portland has more breweries than Milwaukee, Munich, Cologne, or Plzen, and is a hub of microdistilleries (including absinthe) and near wine country in Yamhill County.
]]>And where is Denver on this list? Sorry, but any list that leaves out the home town of Modern Drunkard Magazine is immediately suspect.
]]>Amen sister. There is no way New Orleans should be left off that list.
]]>@Henrythoreau: a href="#c7156144">stre: "To determine the cities with the highest alcohol consumption, we started by making a list of the 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S.--geographic entities defined by the U.S." that's why! at 250,000 madison is a tiny city, so per capita we may be have more drunks, but it's too small to be considered. but isn't that what makes madison so good?--just big enough to have all the good things a city can give, but drive 10 minutes out and you're in the country! oh well.
]]>@royaumedecoeur: I bet My Boston friends drink more than YOUR Boston friends...
]]>@allofyourbadinstincts = I agree...and think Boston Should be AHEAD of Providence...Me Thinks the Forbes reviewers got a "happy ending" in Providence.
Dont ask me how I know
]]>#3, the home of bars, breweries, and liquor stores! Just last night I bought a bottle of champagne and a handle of rum...the good times. Surprised I'm at work. But that also reminds me that there's this one bar I haven't been to in 2 weeks, should go for happy hour today.
]]>Stupid PA liquor laws!!!
]]>@oneliketadow: Because we were too drunk to take the survey
]]>@Kos: Yeah, but sipping a beer until 4AM isn't the same as downing Jack Daniels shots every 10 minutes. Why stay open until 4 when everyone's already passed out by 130?? :D
]]>Austin is a den of debauchery, though. It's called the University of Texas main campus! :D
]]>To determine the cities with the highest alcohol consumption, we started by making a list of the 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S. . . .That eliminates us. When asked about Austin's status as number 1, a bartender there responded: "Sixth Street in Austin is like a tiny version of Bourbon Street."]]>
Beer for breakfast, whiskey for lunch and cocaine for dinner. Antidepressants and Plan-B optional.
It's a big secret. Don't tell anyone.
]]>Portland and Seattle are likely more mixed between wine and beer, whereas Austin seemed like a beer town to me when I was there last month.
]]>Finally something about Da Nati I can be proud of! Bring on the cornhole!
]]>It doesn't surprise me that Austin is #1 on the list. 6th street in downtown Austin is nothing but bar after bar after bar. There's probably 20 bars inside a 100 yard stretch of the street on both sides. On the weekends they close off 6th street to traffic at night (cross streets remain open) so none of the drunks get hit by motorists. I don't think Austin has ever heard of a dry precinct.
]]>Ending the sarcasm here, I'm not surprised. Massachusetts in general seems to be a bit of a drinking state. If you don't drink you are pretty much stigmatized and ostracized from social settings around here.
I'm a non-drinking Republican Yankee fan in Massachusetts. It's a wonder I'm not dead yet. ;)
@redhelix: Don't you mean rehtahded?
]]>Yeah, I'm surprised Madison isn't on there, too. A lot of "college towns" I expected are absent. Oh well! Time to heat it up and have a cold one or twelve!
]]>well, they obviously didn't stop by madison wisconsin, where about 1/5th of the population is between 18 and 24 and survives the weekends by downing as many glass boots full of spaten optimator and as many of wando's fishbowls full of god knows what as they can. ha, i heard someone from boston recently bragging about drinking 40 shots of beer in 40 minutes. puhlease, if you haven't joined the century club (100 in 100) you're not a drinker. i won't even mention the 5 beers in 5 minutes challenge, though i guess i just did. (all hail kanderson for doing all five in less than 90 seconds!)
]]>(I live in Jax, #14. Go us!)
]]>I'm including the residents. I haven't seen a town drink as hard as New Orleanians. I even talked with a mixologist from London who said Bombay Sapphire recognized New Orleans as the hardest drinking city in North America, and was on par with Western Europe.
]]>Ok, seriously, really? No New Orleans? The land of the Go Cup? No open container laws and drive-through daquiri shops? I am offended. This city finds any excuse it can to celebrate, and celebrate it does.
I am saddened. I need a drink to mourn our tragic loss.
@humphrmi: Whoops, I live in #5, not #3 now.
]]>I grew up in three of those cities (#3, 5, and 8) and live in one of them now (#3). I go on vacation near one every year (#2) and will be stopping over in #1 during my vacation in a couple of weeks.
w00t!
]]>Boston is 9th???
Must drink more.
I think they need to run the survey again. I drank so much this past weekend that Atlanta should be in the top 5 now.
]]>No Madison, Wisconsin?
]]>I'm not mad, Michigan...just disappointed.
]]>@Wormfather is Wormfather: @Uptowngirl: I think they surveyed residents and discounted the travelers/tourists. My opinion only...
]]>@shoelace414: I shoulda used all caps, too!
]]>How the hell did New York and Vegas miss the list?
]]>We're number 1! We're number 1! And I grew up in Number 12! Woot!
This has been reported ad nauseum in the Austin media - and every channel has thoughtfully provided accompanying stories re: the evils of college kids' binge drinking at 6th Street bars. I have lived in Austin 9 years and been there (6th st) only once - which was more than enough.
]]>Lies.
New Orleans is number 1, and proud of it. :)
]]>