STERLING, IL – Guys with facial hair listen up—the city most welcoming of your whiskers is now Washington, DC. This according to Wahl, the Official Sponsor of Facial Hair, whose annual study of the most facial hair friendly places found that the former fuzz capital of the world is getting back to its roots.
D.C.’s rise to the top of facial hair food chain is impressive, especially after barely cracking the top 20 list last year. A big reason for this jump is the city’s pro baseball team. Last fall they led the league in many statistical categories, including facial hair. Fans in turn rallied, creating a wave of positive facial hair sentiment that helped to make D.C. the most whisker-worthy place to live. In a bit of a role reversal, last year’s most facial hair friendly city, Boston, moved down to number 17.
While general popularity of facial hair helped dictate the results of the study, notable facial-hair-related events contributed to the rankings. In L.A., the male celebrity scene continues to support the anti-clean-shaven lifestyle, keeping the City of Bearded Angels at the number two spot. Third-ranked Seattle jumped five spots, raising questions about a possible Grunge revival, while newcomer San Francisco made a ‘Giant’ leap from 29th to 4th thanks in large part to a plethora of baseball beards and some post-season magic last fall.
The 2015 Top 20 Most Facial Hair Friendly Cities includes:
1. Washington, D.C. (up 18 spots)
2. Los Angeles (same)
3. Seattle (up 5 spots)
4. San Francisco (NEW to Top 20)
5. Nashville (up 5 spots)
6. Denver (up 3 spots)
7. Chicago (down 4 spots)
8. New York (up 8 spots)
9. San Diego (up 3 spots)
10. Indianapolis (up 7 spots)
11. Sacramento, Calif. (New to Top 20)
12. Omaha, Neb. (New to Top 20)
13. Fresno, Calif. (New to Top 20)
14. Atlanta (up 4 spots)
15. Miami (down 12 spots)
16. Minneapolis (down 10 spots)
17. Boston (down 16 spots)
18. Kansas City, Mo. (New to Top 20)
19. Dallas (down 8 spots)
20. Las Vegas (up 3 spots)
New to this year’s list are San Francisco, Sacramento, Calif.; Omaha, Neb.; Fresno, Calif.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Las Vegas. Cities falling off from last year’s list are Salt Lake City, Austin, Philadelphia, Houston, Detroit and Pittsburgh.
The list of all fifty 2015 Most Facial Hair Friendly Cities:
1.Washington D.C.
2.Los Angeles
3.Seattle
4.San Francisco
5.Nashville
6.Denver
7.Chicago
8.New York
9.San Diego
10.Indianapolis
11.Sacramento, Calif.
12.Omaha, Neb.
13.Fresno, Calif.
14.Atlanta
15.Miami
16.Minneapolis
17.Boston
18.Kansas City, Mo.
19.Dallas
20.Las Vegas
21.New Orleans
22.Portland, Ore.
23.Baltimore
24.Tampa, Fla.
25.Austin, Texas
26.Philadelphia
27.Milwaukee
28.Houston
29.Wichita, Kan.
30.Charlotte, N.C.
31.Phoenix
32.Aurora, Ill.
33.San Antonio, Texas
34.Tucson, Ariz.
35.Bakersfield. Calif.
36.Tulsa, Okla.
37.Oklahoma City
38.Mesa, Ariz.
39.San Jose, Calif.
40.Detroit
41.Memphis, Tenn.
42.Jacksonville, Fla.
43.Fort Worth, Texas
44.Colorado Springs, Colo.
45.Edinburgh, Texas
46.Odessa, Texas
47.Long Beach, Calif.
48.Albuquerque, N.M.
49.El Paso, Texas
50.Honolulu, Hawaii