Gayest Cities in America, 2013

Being a great LGBT city doesn’t just mean having a raucous nightlife, so if you expected to see Hell’s Kitchen or the Castro, you’re reading the wrong list.

BY Matthew Breen

January 09 2013 10:00 AM ET

12. Providence, R.I. (pop. 178,053) Three schools (Brown, Rhode Island School of Design, and Johnson & Wales) bring in the LGBT and LGBT-friendly students who help make this small city so gay and so unstuffy in a non–New England-y kind of way. The gay haunts are easily navigable but no less cool for the city’s size. Guys and gals alike will go nuts for Providence Roller Derby (ProvidenceRollerDerby.com) Also, the city’s former mayor, out 51-year-old David Cicilline, was elected to his second term in Congress.