PPP polls the favorability of some major U.S. cities

[Sbane]

Why is L.A. so low?! We have beaches and Hollywood and lots of hot people!

yes but there's also smog, overcrowding and crime.

Actually LA's crime rate is only slightly higher than the national average. Though it was much higher as late as 2001, and people's perceptions are based on the 80's and 90's, the riots and so on.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Los-Angeles-California.html

And just in case you think the crime has migrated to the rest of the LA area.
http://www.policymap.com/city-crime-rates/los-angeles-crime-statistics/index.html

[Sbane]

And Las Vegas has a positive favorability rating?

Why wouldn't it?

James Howard Kunstler puts it better than I can:

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I'm sure that any resident must hold a more subtle image of the city, perhaps one that is easier to appreciate. But this is how Las Vegas is portrayed and promoted to the masses, and I struggle to understand its allure.

Yeah, I gotta say I really don't like Vegas. What I found really amusing is the pretentiousness of their clubs. Like seriously, you aren't NYC or LA, you're just Vegas. San Diego has a better clubbing scene than you. Deal with it!

And I'm not a huge gambling guy, and only really enjoy Blackjack and poker. At least when I was living in California, it was just much easier to go to the Indian casinos.