Poll:
Do you agree with Spokane being ranked 51st on the list of "Drunkest Cities?"
The rankings are based on 100 major U.S. cities with high death rates from liver disease, high numbers of DUI crashes and DUI arrests, and severe binge drinking.
People living in Spokane say they’re surprised Spokane made the list and that it ranked higher than Seattle.
It lists the Lilac City 51st out of 100 drunkest cities in the U.S. Charley’s Bartender Shirley Williams doesn’t agree with the list.
Williams says for 33 years, she’s made it a point to keep people from driving drunk.
She says her customers call friends, leave their cars, or are called a cab.
That’s why she can’t imagine this being a problem in Spokane.
The local liquor control board was also surprised at the ranking.
Although Lieutenant Rob Reynolds says the triple fatal crash last December on I-90 didn’t help Spokane’s record.
The driver was drunk.
Reynolds says last year’s three high profile DUI fatalities drew attention.
State Patrol says there were 100 DUI crashes in Spokane County in 2009, there were a few less in the city alone.
Only one bartender KREM 2 News spoke with through Spokane’s ranking was right where it should be.
Fresno, California, is considered the "drunkest city" at number 1, and Boston is ranked the "least drunk."
Northwest cities considered "more drunk" than Spokane include Boise (#35) and Portland (#40), while Seattle ranked in 64th.
Major cities known for partying, such as Las Vegas (#11) and New Orleans (#21) ranked high on the list.
Below are the rankings, including a letter grade for each city:
1.) Fresno, CA F
2.) Reno, NV F
3.) Billings, MT F
4.) Riverside, CA F
5.) Austin, TX F
6.) St. Louis, MO F
7.) San Antonio, TX F
8.) Lubbock, TX F
9.) Tucson, AZ F
10.) Bakersfield, CA F
11.) Las Vegas, NV F
12.) Modesto, CA F
13.) Columbia, SC F
14.) Nashville, TN D-
15.) Madison, WI D-
16.) Colorado Springs, CO D-
17.) Denver, CO D-
18.) Phoenix, AZ D-
19.) Cheyenne, WY D-
20.) Sacramento, CA D-
21.) New Orleans, LA D-
22.) Toledo, OH D
23.) Aurora, CO D
24.) El Paso, TX D
25.) Corpus Christi, TX D
26.) Fargo, ND D
27.) San Diego, CA D
28.) Lexington, KY D
29.) Tampa, FL D
30.) Albuquerque, NM D
31.) Oklahoma City, OK D+
32.) Tulsa, OK D+
33.) Jacksonville, FL D+
34.) Detroit, MI D+
35.) Boise City, ID D+
36.) Kansas City, MO D+
37.) Washington, DC D+
38.) Montgomery, AL D+
39.) Omaha, NE D+
40.) Portland, OR D+
41.) Anchorage, AK D+
42.) Birmingham, AL D+
43.) Greensboro, NC C-
44.) Wichita, KS C-
45.) St. Petersburg, FL C-
46.) Burlington, VT C-
47.) Houston, TX C-
48.) Los Angeles, CA C-
49.) Charleston, WV C
50.) Orlando, FL C
51.) Spokane, WA C
52.) Lincoln, NE C
53.) Arlington, TX C
54.) Des Moines, IA C
55.) Fort Worth, TX C
56.) Providence, RI C
57.) Anaheim, CA C
58.) Milwaukee, WI C
59.) Pittsburgh, PA C
60.) Baltimore, MD C
61.) Indianapolis, IN C
62.) Louisville, KY C
63.) Raleigh, NC C
64.) Seattle, WA C+
65.) Grand Rapids, MI C+
66.) Buffalo, NY C+
67.) Wilmington, DE C+
68.) Hartford, CT C+
69.) Sioux Falls, SD C+
70.) Virginia Beach, VA C+
71.) Memphis, TN C+
72.) Cincinnati, OH C+
73.) Cleveland, OH C+
74.) Charlotte, NC C+
75.) Oakland, CA C+
76.) Little Rock, AR B-
77.) Dallas, TX B-
78.) Richmond, VA B-
79.) San Jose, CA B-
80.) Minneapolis, MN B-
81.) Jackson, MS B-
82.) Jersey City, NJ B-
83.) Columbus, OH B-
84.) Atlanta, GA B-
85.) Chicago, IL B
86.) San Francisco, CA B
87.) St. Paul, MN B
88.) Honolulu, HI B
89.) Philadelphia, PA B+
90.) Portland, ME B+
91.) Manchester, NH B+
92.) Fort Wayne, IN A-
93.) New York, NY A-
94.) Durham, NC A
95.) Newark, NH A
96.) Miami, FL A
97.) Salt Lake City, UT A
98.) Rochester, NY A+
99.) Yonkers, NY A+
100.) Boston, MA A+
Men's Health magazine will publish the list in their March edition.
