Free Republic

America’s sin problem isn’t confined to Las Vegas, according to a new study. While the Nevada gambling and tourist destination remains true to its reputation as “Sin City,” it turns out America has no shortage of cities promoting vice and illicit behavior. A WalletHub study released Nov. 17 collected data from several sources on 182 cities nationwide and assessed 37 vices and criminal activity, ranging from excessive drinking to violent crime and the number of adult entertainment establishments per capita, to determine which cities are the most “sinful” in the nation. The study's title, "Most Sinful Cities in America," isn’t...

Today, Tupelo, MS is the nation’s most affordable city, where your dollar can stretch 21% further than the U.S. average.Similarly, several Southern cities have the lowest cost of living in the country, typically seeing smaller populations and more affordable housing. In contrast, New York and California continue to rank among the most expensive places to live.This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld, shows the U.S. cities with the lowest and highest cost of living, based on data from the Council for Community and Economic Research.Where Are America’s Affordable Cities?Below, we rank cities by their cost of living index, which measured...

As migration patterns shift across the U.S., some cities are emerging as magnets for new residents. A combination of affordability, climate, and job opportunities continues to draw people to the South and West.This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, highlights where Americans are choosing to move, based on new residency data from 2024 compiled by Point2Homes.Sun Belt Cities Dominate the RankingsLas Vegas stands out with the highest share of newcomers from other states at 33%. Mesa, Arizona (30%), and Colorado Springs, Colorado (30%) follow closely, reflecting the continued appeal of the Sun Belt. Affordable housing, favorable tax environments, and strong...

FOR THE second year running living conditions have not improved in cities around the world, according to the latest liveability index from EIU, our sister company. The annual survey, designed to help companies calculate hardship allowances when they relocate staff, rates 173 cities across five categories: health care, culture and environment, education, infrastructure and stability. While scores in the first four categories have mostly remained constant or improved, gains have been offset by declines in stability. Vienna is a case in point. The Austrian capital was the world’s most liveable city from 2022 to 2024. But this year it lost...

In those neighborhoods, where civil society breaks down, giving way to anarchy and Haitian-style barbarism, civilization is effectively suspended. Across the United States, the trajectory of inner cities has been one of “inexorable decline” — a descent from centers of economic growth, cultural splendor, and communal solidarity into fragmented, dystopian environments marked by neglect and anarchy. Like mirror images of downtown Port-au-Prince, these urban landscapes, far from civic greatness, have become wastelands defined by abandoned structures, pervasive insecurity, and social disintegration (aggravated by the “homelessness crisis”). The emblematic example of Detroit crystallizes the narrative of urban decline — a Democrat-run...

America didn’t always build ugly cities. As you tour Philadelphia’s historic landmarks or gaze up at New York’s early skyscrapers, you can’t help but wonder…Why don’t all American cities boast beauty like this? When did ugliness take over… Public buildings — including buildings that dominate a city, even if not owned by the government — have the power to: - Grow a city’s economy - Foster pride in one’s community - Inspire a loving relationship between residents and their city With these truths in mind, American architects created breathtaking buildings that became pillars of American identity. Then something happened.. -...

The bureau conducted "Operation Summer Heat" from June 24 through September 20, which featured teams from all 55 FBI field offices and other law enforcement partners. The initiative cracked down on violent crime in major U.S. cities. The FBI on Thursday announced that its efforts to crack down on violent crime nationwide had yielded more than 8,600 arrests over the span of three months, and the seizure of over 2,200 guns.The bureau conducted "Operation Summer Heat" from June 24 through September 20, which featured teams from all 55 FBI field offices and other law enforcement partners. The initiative cracked...

President Trump revealed during a Friday White House statement that after federal troops "clean up" Washington, D.C., Chicago is "next," followed by New York City. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Chicago's a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent, and we'll straighten that one out probably next. That'll be our next one after this. And it won't even be tough, and the people in Chicago, Mr. Vice President, are screaming for us to come. They're wearing red hats just like this one, but they're wearing red hats. African American ladies, beautiful ladies are saying, "Please, President Trump, come to Chicago, please."...

Every year, The Economist ranks cities around the world on livability, based on factors including crime and conflict to public transportation and education.This map, via Visual Capitalist's Kayla Zhu, shows the 10 most livable cities in the world, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index 2025.The index ranks cities on over 30 factors across five categories to determine their overall livability. Factors include:Stability: Prevalence of crime, terror, military conflict, civil unrest/conflictHealthcare: Availability and quality of private and public healthcare, general healthcare indicatorsCulture and environment: Humidity/temperature rating, cultural and sporting availability, social or religious restrictionsEducation: Availability and quality of...

Chicagoans can’t catch a break when it comes to the cost of living—at least, according to a new study from home-goods pros Highland Cabinetry, which ranks the most overpriced cities in the U.S. Analyzing a diverse range of metrics that consider not only the cost of living but also the quality of life in the Windy City—including the exorbitant expense of housing, earned income, relative safety, traffic and so on—the study sourced its data from the likes of the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Zillow real estate stats. While Newark, New Jersey earned the number one spot for being the...

New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed a pair of bills into law Thursday that place bans on sanctuary city polices in the Granite State. “There will be no sanctuary cities in New Hampshire,” Ayotte said during the bill signing, according to New Hampshire Bulletin. “Period. End of story.” The two bills that are now law — House Bill 511 and Senate Bill 62 — ban municipalities and counties in the state from putting in place policies that prevent local officials and police from cooperating with federal immigration officials such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Among other requirements, House...

WASHINGTON — President Trump signed executive orders Monday evening, kicking off a crackdown on sanctuary jurisdictions such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and all of New York — after previously calling for their federal funding to be cut. One order the 78-year-old inked behind closed doors in the Oval Office gives Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem 30 days to draw up a list of cities and states that “obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.” “Immediately following each publication… the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall notify each sanctuary jurisdiction regarding its defiance...

On the whole, happiness in the U.S. is on the decline. The country fell down a spot from the year prior to No. 24 in the 2025 World Happiness Report. But there is still plenty of joy to be found across the 50 states — including in Plano, Texas, which ranked No. 1 in a recent SmartAsset report identifying the happiest cities in America. SmartAsset ranked cities on 11 metrics across three categories: personal finance, wellbeing and quality of life. Individual metrics include the share of households living below the poverty line, share of residents who report being inactive and...

Plans are underway to create “Freedom Cities” — privately controlled corporate enclaves that would operate outside federal oversight — across the United States.According to Wired, a coalition of tech billionaires, venture capitalists, and corporate advocacy groups is drafting congressional legislation and meeting with the Trump administration to bring these experimental cities to U.S. soil.The outlets reports that these cities would be “free from certain federal laws,” allowing unregulated human longevity trials, nuclear reactor startups, and unrestricted infrastructure projects to move forward without government approval. As Wired puts it:The goal of these cities would be to have places where anti-aging clinical...

The Greater Tokyo Area contains around 40 million people—roughly as many residents as in the entire state of California—all living within a region the size of Los Angeles County. Tokyo runs amazingly well for such a mammoth urban environment. Transportation is world class. The neighborhoods offer numerous cultural amenities, small businesses galore, and loads of affordable food. The streets are simultaneously busy and surprisingly quiet, all within a short walk. Crime is low. There are few destitute people on the streets. Residents are exceedingly polite, and the entire city is incredibly clean.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is threatening to withhold aid from cities that do not follow his homeless policies — while arguing at the same time that it would be wrong for the federal government to withhold aid from California. Newsom is asking Congress and the Trump administration for $40 billion in aid to deal with the aftermath of the deadly Los Angeles fires — even as he spends $50 million to fight Trump over immigration and other issues. California officials have generally pushed back against the idea that federal aid for the fires should have “strings,” such as Ambassador Ric...

Hours after she was sworn in, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Justice Department to pause all federal funding for sanctuary cities, according to a report. Among several directives issued Wednesday, Bondi charged the DOJ with identifying and evaluating funding agreements with nongovernmental organizations that provide support to undocumented immigrants, Fox News Digital first reported. She also tasked the department with investigating instances of sanctuary jurisdictions obstructing law enforcement and “directing they be prosecuted, when necessary,” the outlet wrote. Several offices within the Justice Department provided $1.56 billion in grants to sanctuary cities in 2023, according to the think tank...

Adam Frisch, a Colorado Democrat who lost his House race in November to now-Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO), told The Wall Street Journal over the weekend his party is in disarray after their major 2024 election losses.SNIP“The Democratic brand is in the toilet, with a recent Wall Street Journal poll showing 60% of Americans view the party unfavorably while only 36% see it favorably,” Ball wrote. “Democrats lost ground with nearly every demographic group last November, including minorities, women, low-income voters and those without college degrees.”Asked for comment, Frisch replied, “Twenty big cities, Aspen and Martha’s Vineyard — that’s what’s left...

Based on data from U-Haul involving 2.5 million moves, South Carolina topped the list of states people relocated to across state lines in 2024, knocking Texas off the top spot. Texas had topped U-Haul's list for three consecutive years prior to 2024. South Carolina and Texas were followed by North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. Indiana, which was ranked No. 27 in 2023, jumped to No. 8. Oklahoma jumped 30 spots from No. 41 to No. 11. Colorado had the largest drop, falling from No. 9 in 2023 to No. 40 in 2024. California topped the list of states with the...

HUGE ‼️ “Sanctuary Mayors and Governors got some really terrible news this week” “Stephen Miller, who slated to be Donald Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff, sent letters to 249 elected officials in sanctuary states and cities warning them of how much trouble they're gonna get in if they don't start complying with the law and rounding up illegal immigrants” The Federal Government will target government officials harboring illegal migrants committing violent crimes with Racketeering Charges and allow them to be personally liable for lawsuits from victims and more Here are some fantastic highlights from my favorite letter of the year:...