TRANSPARENT BY DESIGN
What our ranking measures.
myhowtown.lol is an independent, open community popularity vote for participating cities across the Americas. It measures recorded support on this platform.
Scope and participation
Participation is voluntary and the city directory is a selected list. We do not sample residents, verify residency, or adjust votes for population. Results are not representative of a city, country, or continent and do not measure safety, affordability, or livability.
Counting votes
Each accepted vote adds one recorded vote to its selected city. Displayed totals combine any stored base-vote value with recorded vote entries. The initial city catalog uses a base value of zero. We do not publish a historical audit trail, so the current leaderboard should be cited as a snapshot rather than a trend.
Duplicate checks and limitations
A browser cookie supplies the voter identifier. The database prevents a second vote for the same city with that identifier. This is a browser-based duplicate check, not proof of one unique person. Clearing cookies, changing browsers, or using another device can bypass that identification; visitors are asked not to use those methods to inflate totals.
Ties and freshness
The home leaderboard sorts by votes, then city name; its row numbers indicate display order. City profiles show shared ranks for equal totals, with gaps after ties. The home page refreshes periodically. City profiles show a timestamped snapshot and must be reloaded for newer totals. If the database is unavailable, profiles say so instead of displaying invented counts.
Paid features are separate
City Chief is an optional paid supporter badge, not a municipal title or endorsement. Chief payments do not add votes. The current Chief price and profile are available through the home interface.
Editorial content and attribution
City descriptions are editorial introductions, not voter testimony or explanations derived from survey answers. We do not collect reasons with votes. Guides explain the site's operation and limits. When citing a score, include the city profile URL and the date and time checked.