Michigan’s Traverse City is a tourist town primarily known as the “Cherry Capital” of the world. But a recent study makes the case that the little beachside burg can also claim the title of being the “Cocaine Capital” of the U.S.
That’s according to OLBG, an online sports betting guide, which named Michigan’s Traverse City and Grand Rapids among the “the top 10 wildest cities in the U.S.” — ranking at No. 3 and No. 10, respectively.
To come up with its rankings, OLBG says it analyzed U.S. cities by factors including the prevalence of casinos, strip clubs, cannabis use, and cocaine use. The authors say they also cited county health rankings for self-reported binge drinking or heavy drinking, among others.
Traverse City was ranked No. 3 overall with a “wildness score” of 7.71 out of 10.
“This city is renowned for its vineyards and wineries and this makes it less surprising that 23% of the residents here drink heavily,” the authors wrote. “Some of the other factors that make up Traverse City’s 7.71 /10 overall score are the 12.76 strip clubs per 100,000 residents, and the fact that 65.8% of people here have taken marijuana.”
When it comes to cocaine use, Traverse City ranked No. 1, with 23.8% of its population of 15,675 having taken the drug, according to the study. Grand Rapids came in at No. 9, with 21.4% of its population of 195,911 using it.
Traverse City also ranked as the No. 1 U.S. city for cannabis use, with 65.8% of residents reporting using the sweet leaf, according to the study. Grand Rapids came in next at No. 2, with 65.4% of residents admitting to inhaling.
Now, we’re taking these rankings with a grain of salt. We think factoring in cannabis use in a city’s “wildness” score is an old-fashioned way of thinking considering cannabis was legalized in Michigan for medicinal use in 2008 and for adult use in 2018. And anyone who’s smoked some strong indica knows that “wild” is perhaps overselling the drug’s effects. It is also not clear to what extent tourism factors into these figures.
Reno, Nevada was named the top wildest city in the U.S. with a “wildness score” of 8.61.
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