Atlanta has been named one of the top ten best U.S. cities for gay dating on a ranking from Bespoke Surgical.
The report, published by founder and CEO of Bespoke Surgical Dr. Evan Goldstein, ranked the 50 largest metropolitan cities in the country based on a rating in seven categories.
Each city received a score out of fifty after being analyzed by the percentage of married people, percentage of men who have sex with men and women who have sex with women, LGBTQ population, HRC Municipal Equality Index score, average cost for alcoholic drink, and number of bars per 100,000 people.
Overall, cities received a high score if they touted significant single and LGBTQ populations, low drink costs, and lots of bars.
Atlanta placed in 10th with a score of 30.7 New Orleans was found to be the best city for gay dating with a score of 34.4.
“Living in a place with a vibrant dating scene is important for most single individuals, young and old,” Goldstein writes. “With such an environment, it can be easier to find a potential significant other, or simply explore the area with someone who doesn’t fall in the ‘friend’ category. Romantic relationships aren’t everything – but they’re certainly an important part of life.”
Atlanta came ahead of cities typically thought of as being liberal LGBTQ safe havens, like Los Angeles who ranked 12th, San Francisco who ranked 15th, and New York City who ranked 35th (so low due to high drink prices and amount of bars).
Southern cities made up a lot of both the highest-ranking and lowest-ranking cities – high being New Orleans, Austin, Tampa, and Orlando and low being Raleigh, Nashville, and Memphis. Goldstein suggested that because of the variation in rankings, the Southern gay dating scene had little to do with the region and more to do with the specific city.