Seriously, what city with a population over 100,000 isn't?

For a coastal native like myself, Ft. Wayne is toned down alot from what I'm used to...I'm simple. It has ample nightlife for the occasions when I get too bored to be a shut-in, and it has a dozen titty bars in which to waste my money if I'm so inclined (I went to see the UFC fights in one this Saturday). And for those weekends that I want to just get away, it has an interstate highway system that will take me just about any direction (Canada, Iowa, Tennessee,...Ohio, ugh) I wish to drive.

Most of all, I have a job here that pays me decent in comparison to the cost of living. To make what I make here back in PA or NJ would be a smack in the face & I couldn't afford all of my toys just from the extra cost of rent alone (I pay $760/month for a modern 1200 sqft. apartment).

Sure, the airport is TOO small, and you have to pay $400 per ticket to go anywhere via that means. But Fort Wayne is no different than alot of cities, esp. those in that 225,000 ballpark.

From what I've been told, as one who traveled "around" Ft. Wayne some 6-10 years ago on vacations, this town has grown alot. Even the apartments I live in weren't even here 10 years ago. It's not for everyone, but I've seemed to find a few east coast transplants who share the same sentiment.

You want to see a dump? Go to Camden, NJ. Or at least suggest something that's close to home for you, and I'll be happy to share my opinion of it (b/c there's a good chance I may have been there, lol).

Long story short, everyone is going to think somewhere is a dump. Most inner-city downtowns (and their poverty-stricken slums) are dumps, too. Miami may have an awesome nightlife - for the person who never sleeps - but it, too, is a dump. I wouldn't have moved here if I thought it was THAT bad. It certainly beats anything within 30 miles of Chicago.