Cabudare, Venezuela

Capital City

At just 70,578 residents, Cabudare may seem like a sleepy backwater. But this Venezuelan city's rapid growth - it now accounts for 40.5% of the surrounding Palavecino municipality - has outpaced local infrastructure. While new housing developments have replaced sugar cane fields, bureaucratic neglect means the city sorely lacks maintenance in key areas. A bedroom community for nearby Barquisimeto, Cabudare offers little beyond affordable housing, and is best suited for those able to overlook its persistent headaches.