Bakıxanov, Azerbaijan

With a population of just 71,600, Bakıxanov is a small and unremarkable suburb of the sprawling Azerbaijani capital Baku. The town was once known as Stepan Razin, named after a Cossack rebel, but was rechristened in honor of a local historian in 1992. Beyond a mosque, a public park, and a small lake, there's little to distinguish Bakıxanov from countless other anonymous commuter towns. Bureaucratic headaches are a persistent issue, with the town's lone metro station still in the planning stages. Unless you're an Azerbaijani rap fan seeking to pay homage to native son Huseyn Derya, there's little reason for the average expat to consider putting down roots in this nondescript corner of the Caucasus.