Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Two Missouri Cities Listed in Top 20 Most Romantic by Amazon

    By William Browning | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Tue, Feb 14, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
    Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

    Just in time for Valentine's Day, online retailer Amazon.com announced its Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in the U.S. based on sales. Data were collected starting Jan. 1. St. Louis and Springfield, Mo., made the list this year.

    Here's a look at how both Missouri cities made it onto the list.

    Springfield and St. Louis

    The Springfield News-Leader reports Springfield made third on the list much to the surprise of some residents. There are a number of romance authors who live in southwest Missouri. A more traditional area of the country might also be one reason why Springfield was high on Amazon's list. The two cities that beat out Springfield were Knoxville, Tenn., and Alexandria, Va.

    St. Louis was 13th. As the largest metropolitan area in the state, St. Louis boasts a lot of wealth and high quality of life in the Show-Me State. Florida had the most cities on the list with four. Tennessee had three cities that made the list. Washington had two metro areas as well as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri.

    Criteria

    The criteria were based on Amazon.com sales beginning Jan. 1. Figures included sales of Barry White music, sexual wellness products, romantic comedy movies, romance novels and relationship help books. Sales were for physical and online-only products such as e-Books and MP3 music downloads.

    The only time a Missouri city made the list previous to 2012 was in 2010. Columbia, Mo., was 17th in sales figures along the same criteria. Columbia is home to the University of Missouri and has a large population based on higher education.

    Cities with populations greater than 100,000 were considered in four lists since 2008. Cities in Florida repeatedly make the list. Miami and Orlando have been on all four lists of Top 20 Most Romantic Cities. Gainesville, home to the University of Florida, has been on Amazon's romantic sales list three times. Virginia and Washington have been repeat states with a lot of romance.

    Original figures in 2008 were including only DVDs, CDs and physical books. Later data starting in 2011 included digital downloads of movies, music and books. For the second year in a row, Alexandria is the most romantic city. For the third consecutive year, Miami is the sexiest city based on sales of sexual wellness books.

    William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.

     

    11 comments

    • Graciela
      Graciela  •  Joplin, Missouri  •  3 mths ago
      I think Joplin should have been in the list. :-)
    • Santos Blackstorm
      Santos Blackstorm  •  3 mths ago
      Sounds like people drink a lot of Moon Shine in MO.
    • F1FAN
      F1FAN  •  3 mths ago
      I had to re-read the headline of this story,here's what I thought it should say: Two Missouri Cities Listed in Top 20 Most Romantic by Amazon (Women!)
    • wornoutkitty
      wornoutkitty  •  Kansas City, Missouri  •  3 mths ago
      I went to school in Springfield, I found it to be a very boring town, but the people were nice.
    • Quint
      Quint  •  3 mths ago
      St Louis is right up there on my "must see" list... right after Camden NJ.
    • R
      R  •  3 mths ago
      St. Louis is romantic, just keep your eyes open.
    • Relax Flash
      Relax Flash  •  3 mths ago
      St.Louis is a dirty HELLhole...i drove thru there a few times...ugh...
    • Tims
      Tims  •  3 mths ago
      i read somewhere else that it was GAY romantic!! not the same
      • Joe
        Joe 3 mths ago
        Bigotry isn't funny, Tims
    • Ebony Palin
      Ebony Palin  •  Jacksonville Beach, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      Missouri? eww.
    • Kevin
      Kevin  •  Austin, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      Cold rain is not romantic.
    • RealAmericanPatriot
      RealAmericanPatriot  •  3 mths ago
      If you really love your mother or sister in an unnatural way Missouri is the State for you.
     Post a comment
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

    News For You

    Loading...

    US News »

    • Golden Gate Bridge marks 75 years since opening against steep odds Braden Reddall
      USS Iowa passes under the Golden Gate Bridge en route from Richmond, California to Los Angeles

      SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Golden Gate Bridge was a larger than life engineering project undertaken against dangerous odds and it opened 75 years ago on Sunday against vehement protest, at the cost of 11 lives. One of the most astonishing and admired man-made wonders of the world, gracing millions of postcards, featured …

    • World War Two battleship USS Iowa sets off on final voyage Laird Harrison
      Retired military vessel USS Iowa prepares for departure from Richmond, CA en route to Los Angeles

      RICHMOND, California (Reuters) - The battleship USS Iowa, which served the United States through victory and tragedy during six decades at sea, set off on its final voyage on Saturday, a trip to Los Angeles to become a museum. With a cheer, volunteers in hard hats cast off the last of a dozen thick lines that had moored …

    • Wildfires hit six U.S. states, small towns evacuated Zelie Pollon
      Smoke rises into the air from a large forest fire in Gila National Forest, New Mexico

      Santa Fe, New Mexico (Reuters) - A wildfire burned out of control for a fourth day in the steep mountains of southwestern New Mexico on Saturday, one of several blazes that have consumed more than 200 square miles (520 square km) of rugged land in six U.S. states. Efforts to contain the blazes spreading in sparsely populated …

    • Subtropical Storm Beryl swirls toward southeast coast Kevin Gray

      MIAMI (Reuters) - Subtropical Storm Beryl moved slowly toward the U.S. southeastern coast on Saturday, threatening heavy rains and dangerous surf for Memorial Day weekend beachgoers in northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Beryl was centered about 220 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, carrying …

    • Gunman in Indiana standoff had three bullet wounds: coroner
      Snipers sit trained on a real estate office where authorities said a gunman was holding an unknown number of hostages in Valparaiso

      (Reuters) - A Texas gunman who held hostages in an eight-hour standoff with police in an Indiana real estate office suffered three gunshot wounds, including two to the head, a coroner said on Saturday. Police have said he shot himself twice in the head after the standoff on Friday in Valparaiso, about 40 miles southeast …

     
    One money saving tip you probably haven't tried
    Add your ideas and help make it happen. Join the conversation.
    Episode 11: Hard times for Hometown Hardware
    Should Bill and Donna take on more risk to boost their business?
    One small business owner surprises Bill and Donna
    How Josh's comment on a Remake America video laid the groundwork for something bigger.
    Learn more about Remake America »