Detroit Named One Of The Worst Cities For Thanksgiving
I’m not going to lie to you, I’m bothered. Usually little things like this don’t get under my skin. However, claiming Detroit is one of the worst cities for Thanksgiving is upsetting. I don’t believe it.
WalletHub just released their annual list of the Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving and Detroit landed at number 90 out of 100. To find the best cities for Thanksgiving, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities in the country based on 18 key metrics. When the data was complied, Detroit was close to the bottom.
The Best Cities For Thanksgiving
According to WalletHub, the metrics considered in the study include cost of Thanksgiving dinner, percentage of delayed flights, volunteer opportunities per capita, forecasted precipitation, and more. That makes sense. All of those are indeed factors that could heavily influence the quality of your Thanksgiving.
Once you see the top three, you start to realize there may be a flaw in the metrics. According to WalletHub, San Francisco, San Jose, and San Diego all make up the top three. See any similarities there? Yes, all start with “San.” Do you see any other similarities there? That’s right. They’re all in the state of California. I’m starting to think the metric about the weather conditions and flight cancelations is really coming into play here. When you go by the weather, I’d expect California to come out on top. However, that’s more reason to believe that we can’t weigh the quality of a Thanksgiving strictly on weather. There’s much more to it, right?
I understand I may be bias, but I think Detroit is fantastic for Thanksgiving. We often get nice crisp fall weather with beautiful foliage. Additionally, Detroit is home of one of the biggest and best Thanksgiving traditions in the country: our annual Detroit Lions Thanksgiving game! Since 1934, Detroit has hosted a Thanksgiving Day game. No other team can say that. Sure, now the Dallas Cowboys play on Thanksgiving ever year too, but that only started in 1966.
To make matters worse, one of the metrics considered in this study was Celebrations & Traditions. Within that category, Detroit ranked 71st. Excuse me? How can we be 71st when we have our Thanksgiving Day game and our parade? I respect the data, but I strongly disagree.
In the end, Detroit ranked 90th out of a possible 100 cities. It’s safe to say they’re claiming Detroit is one of the worst cities in the country for Thanksgiving. However, we did rank 51st in the country when it comes to Affordability. Although, that’s probably not the brag I’m making it out to be. This Thanksgiving, we’ve got to prove them wrong. Let’s step it up this year, Detroit!
Ranking The 5 Best Thanksgiving Football Game Traditions
4. The Local High School Game
When you come home from college for the holiday the first public appearance you can’t wait to make is at your alma matter high school game. Often this matchup is against a local rival or bordering town. The game might even be one-sided but it signifies being home, roaming your old stomping grounds, and seeing people you haven’t connected with in long time. Maybe you don’t even pay attention to the game, but it is still the place to be in town.
Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images
3. The Egg Bowl - Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State
In certain college markets, college football reigns king. Granted there is no NFL team in the state, but nonetheless, certain games mean more than others regardless of your record. Ole Miss vs. Mississippi is one of them. This has become one of college football’s great traditions where these two major programs face off on Thanksgiving Day. They switch each year who serves as the host. Bragging rights and massive amounts of pride are on the line. This year, the game takes place in Starkville (Miss. State) at David Wade Stadium. It has a lot to live up to, with last year’s battle being a 24-22 game, that saw the Bulldogs beat the Rebels (both with a 8-4 record).
Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images
#1. The Backyard Game That You Play In
Much of this feature focuses on high-profile games that include professional players. Nowadays, even some college players are branded as millionaire entertainers and influencers. However, that traditional pick-up game you play within your own community takes our number one spot. Whether you are returning to the town you grew up with to play an annual game of two-hand-touch, or forming a new game in town you just moved to, there’s something unspoken and special about neighborhood Thanksgiving football game. You hop a rusty fence wearing an oversized jersey down to your knees. Either your teams are set way in advance or they are spur-of-the-moment, decided by a quick game of rock, paper, scissors. Then, you’re either covered in dirt or sliding all over the grass because you wore sneakers. You never know who is going to win, but you do know, you will be laughing from start to finish.
