Suck, suckier, suckiest... It's on a spectrum. jk.
Baltimore is an,old city with a lot of old buildings BUT it's also beautiful ...with an inner harbour,rich history, cultural offerings & intellectual innovative giants like John Hopkins.. Also some beautiful ppl ..isnt it the people/ relationships that mostly make a city? Anyway there are ..im sure..some small town, non urban areas that have some of the same issues as Baltimore....just fewer people.
Why focus on urban areas?