What are the 'drunkest cities' in the South? New study shows some surprising results
ATLANTA - A new survey has named the "drunkest city" in each state. The locations across the South might just be surprising.
24/7WallSt, a financial news website, looked at the percentage of men and women over the age of 18 who reported heavy or binge-drinking in metros across the United States.
What is the drunkest city in Georgia?
The first places in Georgia that might pop into your head are Savannah and some of the coastal islands. Maybe Augusta with the number of Azalea’s served in April. Or, perhaps Athens, being a college town, or even Atlanta, with its nightlife.
You would be wrong to pick those.
Timothy Hornsby reacts after finishing fifth in the Sr Men K1 200m Final during Day Three of the 2016 Canoe Kayak Pan American Championships at the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue on May 21, 2016 in Gainesville, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Gainesville wins with 17.5% of adults stating they drink excessively. The statewide average is 16.2%, the seventh lowest in the country.
Located about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, bordering Lake Lanier, the Gainesville area has a population of about 212,692.
Driving deaths involving alcohol are 17.5% for Hall County, which is lower than the state average of 20.7%. Georgia ranks the fifth lowest in the US.
What is the drunkest city in Alabama?
The drunkest city in Alabama might not be that much of a surprise. It is in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area.
Just a short tunnel trip from Mobile, Alabama, Baldwin County includes Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, two popular vacation getaways.
About 19.0% of adults surveyed say they drink excessively, compared to 16.1% statewide. Alabama is the sixth lowest in the US.
Driving deaths involving alcohol are 32.2% for Baldwin County, which has a population of about 246,435. That is higher than the state average of 25.9%. Alabama ranks the 17th lowest in the US.
What is the drunkest city in Mississippi?
If you keep traveling west along Interstate 10, you might find yourself at one of the many casinos or resorts along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Most of those are in the Gulfport-Biloxi area, Mississippi’s drunkest area, according to this survey.
Vintage large letter postcard illustration, ‘Greetings from Biloxi, Mississippi’, showing scenes from the area against a blue background of a sailboat race in rough waters, 1940s. (Photo by Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images)
Stretching from Biloxi through Mississippi City, Gulfport, Long Beach, to Pass Christian and Henderson Point, and stretching about 20 miles north, Harrison County has 18.3% of adults who drink excessively. Compare that to the lower 16.4 statewide, which is the eighth lowest in the US.
The area, which has a population of about 420,782, sees about 21.1% of driving deaths involving alcohol. That is slightly higher than the 18.5% statewide, which is the absolute lowest in the country.
What is the drunkest city in Louisiana?
Louisiana has a few beautiful places to visit. However, when talking about the drunkest city, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and even New Orleans don’t top the list.
It is the Houma-Thibodaux metro area with 22.7% of adults surveyed saying they drink excessively. Located in Terrebonne Parish, it is located about 45 miles southwest of the Big Easy.
With a population of about 200,656 people, driving deaths involving alcohol are 37%, well above the 31.2% statewide. Louisiana is the 17th highest in the US.
What is the drunkest city in Tennessee?
If you follow the Natchez Trace Parkway north to its end, you will cross the Double Arch Bridge into the drunkest metro area in Tennessee: Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin.
A sign painted on the side of a brick building welcomes visitors to the Lower Broadway entertainment district in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
About 2,046,715 live in this 12-county area. The survey found that 17.3% of adults who responded there say they drink excessively. That is just above the state average of 17%, the eleventh lowest in the US.
Driving deaths involving alcohol are 24.3%, just above the 23.5% statewide, and tenth lowest in the US.
What is the drunkest city in North Carolina?
To find North Carolina’s drunkest city, you must go all the Atlantic Coast to Wilmington. It is located in New Hanover County with a population of about 300,658.
The survey found 20.3% of adults there say they drink excessively. Compare that to the statewide 17%, the twelfth lowest in the county.
Driving deaths involving alcohol are 24.1%, just below the state average of 25.9%, the 16th lowest in the country.
What is the drunkest city in South Carolina?
Staying along the Atlantic Coast and heading south, you will find the greater Charleston area with a population of around 830,529.
Vintage illustration of Greetings from Charleston, South Carolina large letter vintage postcard, 1940s. (Photo by Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images)
About 21.8% of adults responding to the survey reported they drink excessively. Compare that to the 19% statewide, or the 22nd highest in the US.
Driving death involving alcohol are 34.4%, just above the state average of 32.8%, and the 12th highest in the country.
What is the drunkest city in Florida?
This one will likely throw you for a loop. You might think Pensacola, Destin, or Panama City. They are all popular destinations for those across the South. Perhaps Tallahassee or Gainesville, both big college towns.
Perhaps Jacksonville, which holds the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" every year, or nearby St. Augustine or Dayton.
Surely, it must be Orlando or Kissimmee, a worldwide resort oasis. Or how about Tampa Bay, with the Ybor City district? Or even Miami? Miami has South Beach.
How about the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area with its growing population?
No, it’s not any of those.
It’s Homosassa Springs.
A giant manatee fiberglass sculpture wearing a Christmas elf hat outside Homosassa Springs Visitors Center. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
If you just asked, "Where the heck is Homosassa Springs?" you would not be alone.
Located about 60 miles north of Tampa, the area also includes Inverness, Hernando, Floral City, Sugarmill Woods, Dunnellon, and Crystal River. It is considered in the heart of some of old pristine Florida with a population of about 162,529.
And it’s the drunkest area in Florida with 21.3% of adults responding to the survey stating they excessively drink. Statewide, it's 17.2%, the 14th lowest in the country.
Driving deaths involving alcohol are 21.9%, just below the statewide average of 22%, the seventh lowest in the country.
Check out the full list here.
What are some resources to quit drinking?
Study after study have proven that excessive drinking can be harmful to your health. There are resources available to help.
A good place to start is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The SAMHSA’s National Helpline can help by referring you to local care. You can get in touch with someone at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). It is free and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is also completely confidential.
The TTY line is 1-800-487-4889.
Services are also available in English and Spanish.
Also, visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you.
To learn more, visit https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
This story is being reported out of Atlanta