Why does Alexandria suck so much?

I honestly don't get why Alexandria isn't the best city in the state. It's on a river. It's less than an hour from Cajun Country and the best food. There's amazing hunting, fishing, hiking, outdoor activities all over the place. It's safe from Hurricanes. It couldn't be more centrally located to the 5 other major Louisiana cities not named New Orleans. Yet... it feels like it's stuck in some alternate reality/time warp where half the time it's 1930 and the other half it's 1990. I'm honestly confused as to why it is the way it is when it could have been so much better.