Drunkest Cities In America: California Boasts 3 Of Top 10 (PHOTOS)

The 'drunkest' cities in America for this year have been released by Men's Health, and Fresno, California tops the list.

Fresno edged a city in Nevada for the first slot. Two other California cities also cracked the top 10.

In compiling the rankings, Men's Health considered "death rates from alcoholic liver disease, booze-fueled car crashes, frequency of binge-drinking in the past month, number of DUI arrests, and severity of DUI penalties," according to USA Today.

Check out the full Top 10 list below, and let us know -- do you buy it? Or are the rankings totally off?

No. 1 Fresno, California

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Comments

[littleglenlake]

12:45 PM on 02/23/2010

Interesting article but I don't buy it based on the statistics they used. Here is what they used:
1. death rates from alcoholic liver disease,
2. booze-fueled car crashes,
3. frequency of binge-drinking in the past month,
4. number of DUI arrests,
5. and severity of DUI penalties

Besides #2, everything else is relatively subjective - and hear me out. #4 is all relative to the number of police that actually MAKE arrests for DUI. I live in Reno now, and used to live in Michigan (Detroit). I will tell you that there are WAY more police out on the highways here in Reno than there ever were in Michigan and many more DUI arrests as a result. Now that is subjective as well, based on my "observations", but the more police in force to make arrests would definitely affect the DUI arrest statistics. My only point is that basing something on DUI arrests or severity of DUI penalties does make a city more or less of a "drunk" city. You could also come to the conclusion that Reno is a safer place to drive because the police get the drunk drivers off the road faster (stupid conclusion I know).

My only point is that just because you use statistics doesn't mean there is a level playing field across the country on how those statistics are gathered. That is why I take this whole article with a grain of salt. It does make for an interesting discussion though.

[REDSTATEREFUGEE]

04:59 PM on 02/14/2010

No wonder that Fresno, California ranked number one for alcoholic consumption. Many Central Valley cities and towns are terminally depressing, including Fresno. The city reminds me of West Texas towns where life is a dismal prospect.

[Tim303]

02:41 AM on 02/12/2010

"I love Fresno." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[derrickhoyle]

03:24 PM on 02/09/2010

I miss Big Mama's in Riverside. They knocked it down and haven't built anything there since. It reminds me of the Social Distortion song - the pool hall I went to as a kid is now a 7-11 - except it's nothing. I'm surprised Riverside is drunker than San Bernardino. How did they come up with this list?

[BluesHen]

02:27 PM on 02/07/2010

How did Philly and New orleans miss out?????

[gurukalehuru]

02:13 PM on 02/07/2010

I am a recovering alcoholic and haven't had a drink for 11 years, but if for some unimaginable reason I was forced to live in a sink of depression such as Fresno or Riverside, California, Billings, Montana or Lubbock, Texas I think my resolve would be sorely tested.

[Tim303]

02:38 AM on 02/12/2010

Copy.

[smartalek]

11:53 AM on 02/07/2010

Boston didn't make the list???
C'mon everybody, step up -- this is a matter of civic pride.
Marathon Monday's not that far away; let's get in training mode stat, so we don't have to be embarrassed like this again.
Do your duty!

[rustbeltdemocrat]

09:26 AM on 02/07/2010

Not 1 Midwest Rustbelt City?! Are you kidding me?

No Cleveland? Chicago? Detroit? Buffalo? Milwaukee?!?!

Come on!!

[CPAwADD]

09:58 AM on 02/07/2010

Absolutely right! I went to college in Milwaukee in the early 80s, there was free beer at the campus wide block parties. My friends and I used to bring a 1/4 barrel to the block parties in order to avoid the long lines for free beer --we were not alone!

[IronMikeHouston]

10:08 AM on 02/07/2010

Look like the places that are ranked high, are locations were there are lots of illegals.

[Tim303]

02:39 AM on 02/12/2010

I can see a place without many brain cells.

[czs5056]

09:14 AM on 02/07/2010

the forgot State College PA where anywhere from 40-50% of the population binge drinks almost every single weekend

[odinfellow]

07:46 AM on 02/07/2010

Not ONE Southeastern city? C'mon! Orlando? Atlanta? Miami? NEW ORLEANS? ?

[dems08]

07:19 AM on 02/07/2010

Tucson???

[PrettyGoodPR]

03:09 AM on 02/07/2010

# 8 is not a picture of Lubbock. Looks more like it was shot outside of Post, TX, looking down from the cap rock. Lubbock is totally flat.

[cyclejerk]

11:21 PM on 02/06/2010

East coast?? Someone needs to represent!

[jf1936]

07:01 PM on 02/06/2010

Please. This list is a joke - it does not list a single town in Wisconsin, namely Milwaukee.

HELLO - the baseball team is called THE BREWERS for christ's sake!

[janex]

09:51 PM on 02/06/2010

I lived in Sheboygan briefly one summer and what struck me was that the bars are located on every corner, so my guess is that per capita, there are fewer DUIs because you can walk to the bars. In Fresno and much of the west, nothing is within walking distance. Also, could it be that people die of other causes (like heart disease) before they have the chance to need treatment for a failing liver?

[RodSteel]

01:06 AM on 02/07/2010

Look, I'm from Milwaukee, and I ought to know.

Just because we make beer here, (hence the name of the baseball team), that doesn't automatically mean everyone is a drunk. It's not all "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley", with the Fonz hanging out at Al's drive-in. Come to Milwaukee and see for yourself, instead of indulging in gross stereotypes.

[opprobrious]

02:59 AM on 02/07/2010

But aren't the Fonz, Laverne and Shirley the reason why tourists visit Milwaukee?;)

[dansup]

06:26 PM on 02/06/2010

not to belabor the point, but the good students at Cal State Fresno would probably disagree