Soledad, Colombia

This Colombian city is hardly a paradise. With a population of over 676,000, Soledad is the 6th most populous municipality in the country and the 3rd largest in the Caribbean region. The rapid growth, up from just 455,000 residents in 2005, has created a persistent bureaucratic headache for locals. And while the city's location at 10°55'N and 74°46'W provides access to Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport, the climate details are conspicuously absent from the source material. For those seeking an affordable, well-connected hub on the Caribbean coast, Soledad may fit the bill. But the breakneck expansion and lack of infrastructure details suggest this is no tropical idyll.