If the sheer sales volume of books about sex is any indication, Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the prestigious University of Michigan, is the sexiest city in America.

That's the word from Amazon.com, which calculated the types of books they sell to cities across the country. Based on these calculations, Ann Arbor is the sexiest because fully 24 percent of their residents' romantic purchases are books about sex.

But when Amazon counted all romantic purchases, including romance novels and books about relationships and not just books about sex, to determine the most romantic U.S. cities, Ann Arbor fell to No. 5. It's bested by Alexandria, Virginia in the top spot, followed by Cambridge, Massachusetts; Miami, Florida; and Irvine, California. (The data were compiled on a per capita basis for 236 cities with more than 100,000 residents.)

The top 20 most romantic U.S. cities:
1. Alexandria, Virginia
2. Cambridge, Massachusetts
3. Miami, Florida
4. Irvine, California
5. Ann Arbor, Michigan
6. Orlando, Florida
7. Berkeley, California
8. Scottsdale, Arizona
9. Arlington, Virginia
10. Atlanta, Georgia
11. Washington, D.C.
12. Pasadena, California
13. Bellevue, Washington
14. Seattle, Washington
15. San Francisco, California
16. Columbia, South Carolina
17. Tallahassee, Florida
18. Austin, Texas
19. Richmond, Virginia
20. Knoxville, Tennessee

Other fun facts to know and tell:

• Just as the commonwealth's slogan says, Virginia really is for lovers, with three cities--Alexandria, Arlington and Richmond--ranking in the top 20 most romantic cities.
  
• Cambridge, Massachusetts is the city with the most relationship savvy. Fully 58 percent of its romantic Amazon purchases are books about relationships.
  
• The three cities least interested in sex and romance are Pomona, California; El Monte, California; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

  --From the Editors at Netscape