New York, Las Vegas or Los Angeles may seem like more likely choices but Austin, Texas has been named the sexiest city in the United States in a magazine survey.

Dallas, Houston and San Antonio also scored high marks in the ranking by Men's Health Magazine that looked at birth rates, condom sales, rate of sexually transmitted diseases and sales of sex toys.

But cold-weather cities, including Portland, Maine which came in last and Burlington in Vermont, didn't do as well.

"One possibility is that in an area where's it's hotter, people need to dress lighter and that puts pressure on them to look better and keep in better shape," said Matt Marion, the deputy editor of the magazine.

Seven of the 15 sexiest cities in the poll of 100 urban areas were in Texas. In contrast, New England, with its freezing temperatures and parka-wearing populace, was home to many of the least libidinous cities.

The finding that amorous people tended to be more abundant in warmer cities such as Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, contradicts the notion that sultry weather makes people lazy and want to avoid physical contact with others.

Some cities renowned for their singles bars and hook-up scenes were also low in the ranking. Las Vegas was No. 70, followed by New York at 73, San Francisco at 74 and Miami at 88, contradicting their reputations as randy metropolises.

"They could be having plenty of sex in Boston, San Francisco and New York, but just less than in other places," Marion said.

Yonkers, in New York, Charleston in West Virginia and Manchester, New Hampshire were also at the bottom of the list.

The full list can be found on www.menshealth.com/metrogrades.

(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

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(Agencies)