Xinmin, China

With a population of just 74,139, Xinmin is a small and bureaucratic city that offers little to entice most foreigners. The local newspaper, Xinmin Evening News, is owned by the Chinese government and has been designated a foreign mission by the U.S. State Department, underscoring the heavy hand of the Communist Party in daily life. While the city managed to earn a spot on a list of China's top 100 newspapers in 2018, that achievement does little to mask the persistent headaches of navigating Xinmin's thick red tape. This sleepy industrial town is best suited for those with an iron will and a high tolerance for state control.