Pittsburgh tops this year’s list with a casual dinner and two movie tickets costing $77.80. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the same date in the most expensive city on the list, Los Angeles, comes in at $126.06.

The following list uncovers the most affordable cities for dating in the United States based on research conducted by Match.com:

1. Pittsburgh – Dating is a steal in the Steel City.
2. Detroit – A night at the drive-in in the Motor City won’t break the bank.
3. Sacramento, Calif. – When it comes to cheap dates this place is the capital.
4. Phoenix – The desert heat won’t dry up your bank account.
5. Indianapolis – The Indy 500 isn’t the only thing that gets hearts racing in Indianapolis.
6. St. Louis, Mo. – The Gateway to love doesn’t have to be expensive in St. Louis.
7. Tampa – St. Petersburg, Fla. – With such cheap date prices, residents practically live like buccaneers in this Florida city.
8. Orlando – Daytona Beach, Fla. – Another reason this is the “happiest place on Earth:” romantic dates that won’t deplete your checking account.
9. Houston – Everything is big in this Texas city, except the cost of dating.
10. Charlotte, N.C. – Guys in North Carolina have a lot to smile about — Southern belles and inexpensive dates.

Other cities:

11. Atlanta
12. Denver
13. Cleveland
14. Miami
15. Portland, Ore.
16. Minneapolis – St. Paul
17. Seattle
18. Philadelphia
19. Boston
20. Dallas – Fort Worth
21. Washington, D.C.
22. Chicago
23. New York
24. San Francisco
25. Los Angeles

Source: Match.com

Which rank among America’s worst baseball towns?

Here’s our list:

Washington — There’s a reason baseball was absent from the Nation’s Capital for more than 30 years. NO ONE CARES. Much was made of the Montreal Expos’ move to D.C in 2005, and fans showed some interest for a while, but the bloom clearly is off the rose.  The team is awful, and even a brand new stadium hasn’t spurred interest. Withering summer heat and humidity that make the area one of the most miserable places on the planet in the middle of the season don’t help.  The Nationals were 25th in attendance among the 30 Major League Baseball teams as August began, and the prospects for another last-place finish won’t help brighten those dog days on the Potomac.

Oakland – When the Raiders moved back to the Bay Area, a refit of the Coliseum turned the place from passably attractive (due mainly to the view of the nearby hills) to concrete tomb. Much as the city suffers comparison to cross-bay San Francisco, the A’s home digs pale when rated against the Giants’ cozy and atmospheric AT&T Park. The fan base has grown weary of seeing tightfisted management trade good players for prospects in an endless rebuilding cycle, and a mid-week night at the Coliseum can be a quiet, lonely experience for all concerned.

Arlington — You can’t say Rangers fans aren’t patient. Since the club arrived from Washington in 1972, it has made just three playoff appearances (1996, 1998 and 1999), winning just one game and losing the next nine. Since then, the Rangers have posted just one winning season. It’s hot out there, and it isn’t particularly cheap, either. Rangers fans are generally regarded among the least passionate and least knowledgeable in the game, though you can hardly blame them. Players often admit that they like playing in Texas because the customers aren’t as demanding as they are in places like New York or Boston — an indictment if we’ve ever heard one.

Pittsburgh – An old-line baseball stronghold fallen on hard times. The Pirates haven’t been relevant since the early 1990s, and the city has pretty much turned its back on the club. Even when the team seems to be building something, management cries the small market blues and ships talent off for less expensive prospects. The likes of Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell — or even Barry Bonds — still conjure up fond memories, but they’re seeming more distant by the day.

Miami — When the Marlins haven’t been in the process of tearing the team down and selling off the spare parts like so much scrap metal, they’ve managed to win the World Series — twice (1997 and 2003). So why don’t people come? It’s hot and humid, for one thing, and maybe fans don’t know what to look for, since the stadium changes names about as often as Tyra Banks changes wardrobes. (The current monniker: Land Shark Stadium.) Things might improve when the Marlins move into a new park (with a retractable roof) on the site of the old Orange Bowl in 2012. For now? Forget it, as most South Florida fans have already done. Through early August, the Marlins were one of only three MLB teams averaging fewer than 20,000 fans per home game (Pittsburgh and Oakland were the others.)

However you go about it, you know one when you see one. Stroll around Wrigleyville before a Cubs game, for instance, and it’s pretty clear you’re someplace special. Same with Fenway Park.

It’s not just a number, it’s a feeling.

Which are America’s best sports cities? It’s a list sure to stir up some debate, but here are 10 that have to be in any discussion:

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The magazine assessed quality of life in the nation’s largest continental metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Areas with populations smaller than 500,000 were not considered. The rest were rated across five sets of data: Five-year income growth per household and cost of living from Moody’s Economy.com, crime data and leisure index from Sperling’s Best Places, and annual unemployment statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Who were the big winners?

Here’s the list:

15. Little Rock, Ark

14. Peabody, Mass.

13. Madison, Wisc.

12. Harrisburg, Pa.

11. Denver, Colo.

10. Pittsburgh, Pa.

9. Worcester, Mass.

8. Baltimore, Md.

7. Cambridge, Mass.

6. Oklahoma City, Okla.

5. Tulsa, Okla.

4. Stamford, Conn.

3. Des Moines, Iowa

2. Bethesda, Md.

1. Portland, Me.

To read about what makes these cities so resident-friendly, and to see a slideshow, check out Forbes.

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For some, the view from afar works just fine. A New York or a Chicago can be appreciated for the majesty of their architecture, and their skylines rank among the best around.

Who else needs to be in the discussion? The folks from Forbes Traveler thought you’d never ask. They’ve put together their list of the World’s Most Stunning City Skylines.

Here’s a peek:

Chicago

Sydney

Dubai

Seattle

Paris

London

Houston

Pittsburgh

Hong Kong

Toronto

San Francisco

Frankfurt

New York City

To read a little about each of these selections, and to see a slideshow, visit Forbes Traveler.

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Unfortunately, the company you keep might be a problem. If you live in any of the metropolitan areas below, it might be time to put a little heat on your friends and neighbors to clean up their act.

Here are two different looks at the Top 10 most polluted U.S. cities:

(By year-round particle pollution)
1. Los Angeles, California
2. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
3. Bakersfield, California
4. Birmingham, Alabama
5. Visalia/Porterville, California
6. Atlanta, Georgia
7. Cincinnati, Ohio
8. Fresno/Madera, California
9. Hanford/Corcoran, California
10. Detroit, Michigan

(By ozone)
1. Los Angeles, California
2. Bakersfield, California
3. Visalia/Porterville, California
4. Houston, Texas
5. Fresno/Madera, California
6. Sacramento, California
7. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
8. New York City/Newark, New Jersey
9. Baltimore, Maryland/Washington, DC
10. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Source: American Lung Association

Related Links

• Read about how a solar plan in Los Angeles is sending up political flares in that city.

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Still, you’ve got to start somewhere, and the road to the Final Four begins with some early handicapping by way of the first Associated Press poll of the year. If the voters are correct, North Carolina (which got all 72 first place votes) will be cutting down the nets after the championship game. But, as many a previous favorite can attest, the road is long, winding, and full of potholes.

Here’s how they’ll break from the gate:

  1. North Carolina
  2. Connecticut
  3. Louisville
  4. UCLA
  5. Pittsburgh
  6. Michigan State
  7. Texas
  8. Duke
  9. Notre Dame
10. Gonzaga
11. Purdue
12. Oklahoma
13. Memphis
14. Tennessee
15. Arizona State
16. Marquette
17. Miami (FL)
18. USC
19. Florida
20. Davidson
21. Wake Forest
22. Georgetown
23. Villanova
24. Kansas
25. Wisconsin

BusinessWeek wondered, too. That’s why the editors set out to determine which cities and towns were the best-equipped to ride out an economic downturn. If your community is heavy in the financial, real estate, or insurance industries, you won’t be turning up on this list. If you are weighted toward government, education and health care, however, you’ll probably be better off.

No place is immune, of course, but here are some cities likely to feel the least pain:

– Arlington, Virginia

– District of Columbia

– Durham, N.C.

– Madison, Wisc.

– Boston, Mass.

– Pittsburgh, Pa.

– Baltimore, Md.

– Baton Rouge, La.

– New Orleans, La.

– Philadelphia, Pa.

To read all about these, catch the rest, and check out a slideshow, visit BusinessWeek.

The closest to approach that mark in the last 50 years was Toledo, which won 35 straight from 1969-71. Most recently, USC ran off 34 in a row from 2003 to 2005. Miami (Fla.) also won 34 consecutive from 2000 to 2002, but most of the other long streaks are relatively old news.

Here’s a list of the top runs of sustained excellence in major college history:

47 — Oklahoma (1953-57)

39 — Washington (1908-14)

37 — Yale (1890-93)

37 — Yale (1887-89)

35 — Toledo (1969-71)

34 — USC (2003-05)

34 — Miami, Fla.  (2000-02)

34 — Penn (1894-96)

31 — Oklahoma (1948-50)

31 — Pittsburgh (1914-18)

31 — Penn (1896-98)

30 – Texas (1968-70)

29 — Miami, Fla. (1990-93)

29 — Michigan (1901-03)

Source: ESPN Sports Almanac 2008

Recently, Forbes set out to establish which U.S. cities are the best places to do just that. Factors included general business environment, low unemployment, and high wages.

Who made the list? Here’s a sampling from the Top 10, in reverse order:

10. Philadelphia

  9. Milwaukee

  8. Dallas

  7. San Francisco

  6. Pittsburgh

  5. New York

  4. Washington, D.C.

  3. Boston

To see who occupies the No. 2 and No. 1 spots, visit Forbes.com.