Where the men are; a close look at six cities uncovers a wealth of marriageable males

WE'VE all heard the distressing cries about the desperate shortage of single Black men: "They're all in jail or gay." "The good ones are all taken They're infantile Don juans incapable of commitment." For every single woman who's ever had such a thought, there's only one thing to say: Hogwash.

Granted, in terms of sheer numbers there are more Black women than men. But when you're only looking for one there are plenty-and we mean plenty - of unattached-scriously marriageable men who, like you, are looking for that special someone. How do we know?

Using a choice combination of statistical analysis and insider tips, we unearthed the answer to that interminable question: Where are all the good single men?

The answers will surprise and delight you. So here's the lowdown on six great cities to find Mr. Right, the best places to go to meet him-plus invaluable advice on where to go in your city to meet the best crop of eligible, marriageable men.

Notebooks, ladies, please. WASHINGTON, D.C. Number of Single Black Men:

71,248 Number of Single Black Women:

76,069

Washington, D. C., is a good place to be single, female and Black. For one thing, Black people make up 70 percent of the city's population. But it's much more than sheer quantity (more than 400,000 Black people call D.C. home) that makes the nation's capital such prime hunting ground. Washington is a magnet for well-educated, upwardly mobile, high-achieving men. (D. C. boasts the highest concentration of Black college graduates in the nation.) These high-achieving men are attracted to the city for a host of reasons - to attend law, business or medical school at one of the city's prestigious universities, including Howard, Georgetown and Catholic, to name just a few.

In addition to being a university town, Washington is the city of political power. Consequently, it's home to thousands of men who've flocked there to work for the nation's largest employer, Uncle Sam. Fully 21 percent of D.C.'s work force is employed by the federal government, and 83 percent of these jobs are white-collar positions.

Is a corporate mogul more your type? More than 2,000 business associations (including the National Bar Assn. and the National Bankers Assn.) and literally hundreds of top-dollar companies (including Xerox, IBM and American Express) maintain offices in D. C. to monitor federal legislation and to lobby Capitol Hill. WHERE TO GO, HOW TO MEET THEM * UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES: If you're a single Black woman, the law library at Howard or Georgetown on Saturday morning is heaven in this life, particularly during exam months (early December, late April). The place is crawling-we're talking wall to wall-with up-and-coming young attorneys. Ask any one of them for assistance ("Could you point me to the section on inheritance tax?'). This works equally well at any of the university medical libraries if your taste runs more to handsome young interns. * JOGGING: At lunchtime, hundreds of fitness -conscious (read lean and muscular) Washington men trade their pinstripes and wing tips for sweats and Reeboks. Try the Memorial Bridge between noon and 2 p. m., and Constitution Gardens, a 42-acre area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, is as fertile on weekends as it is at lunchtime. * CULTURAL EVENTS: Successful men pursue a variety of cultural activities depending on their particular interest. Gallery openings (D.C. has dozens; try the Museum of African Art) attract art lovers by the hundreds. Music aficionados flock to concerts at the Kenned Center during the last Patti LaBelle show the bar at intermission looked like a Black male model convention.) New exhibits at the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art are always prime meeting grounds. Get on a mailing list and start mingling. * SPORTING EVENTS: Prime hangouts for D.C. men. Washington is home to the Super Bowl XXII champion Redskins, and whenever the Skins play at home, RFK Stadium is completely sold out. Translation: thousands and thousands of single men in one location. Tickets a- tough to get, but beg, borrow or steal one. Go to the hot dog stand at half-time. Ask questions ("Do you think Doug Williams has been 100% since his operation?"). Men say they love women who show an interest in sports, say they'd kill for a lady who is even mildly knowledgeable about the game. Apply this same theory to the basketball season. Choose a game where the Bullets are playing a "hot- team like L.A. or Chicago. Cheer. Smile. NEW YORK Number of Single Black Men:

246,959 Number of Single Black Women:

286,824

Single Black women have good reason to sing the popular song I love New York. The Big Apple is one of the best cities in which to take applications. First, it has the largest Black population (1, 784,337) of any city in the country. Second, because New York is the cultural, financial and media capital of the nation, virtually every major business in the country maintains a presence there. And major businesses, of course, employ major players. And major players usually understand success is nothing unless you have someone to share it with. WHERE TO GO, HOW TO MEET THEM * SUBWAY AT RUSH HOUR:Because cars are such a hassle in New York (there's too much traffic, and once you get where you're going there's no where to park), everyone rides the subway. The rush-hour trains are filled with a diverse selection of single men commuting to and from work: Wall Street attorneys, up-and-coming actors, business and media moguls. Strike up a conversation. "Do you mind if I look at your Wall Street journal?" or "Is that book you're reading as good as I've heard?" are innocuous and effective. * MIDTOWN ATRIUMS AT LUNCH: Several of Manhattan's office buildings have public atriums where folk gather to escape the madness of the office and a leisurely lunch. Some of the nicest asset popular include the IBM Building (56th Madison), Trump Tower (725 Fifth Ave.), and Citicorp Center (53rd & Lexington). The right lunch could lead to dinner, dancing, dessert. * COLUMBUS AVENUE: Columbus Avenue has undergone major revitalization in recent years and its dozens of restaurants, stores and trendy boutiques are now considered to be tris chic. The area attracts hundreds of folk for shopping, eating and strolling. Weekends are particularly crowded. Call a friend and "do" brunch at any one of the Avenue's handsome new cafes. Get a window table and people-watch while you eat, then stroll the Avenue with all those handsome bachelors! CHICAGO Number of Single Black Men: 160,226 Number of Single Black Women: 171,487 If you're a single Black woman, it's likely you'll soon be singing that old standard, My Kind of Town, Chicago Is. In addition to the city's physical beauty (25 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, not to mention the bold and beautiful architecture), the Windy City is second only to New York in its number of Black residents: 1,197,000 Blacks call Chicago home and that's close to 40 percent of the city's population. What's more, since this Midwestern metropolis has hundreds of big-time businesses (including johnson Publishing Co., Sunbeam, Amoco, Kraft and Zenith), it has attracted thousands of educated, career-minded single men to work for the city's top firms. Chicago's nearly 50 colleges, universities and professional institutes make it a top-shelf intellectual as well as business center. WHERE TO GO, HOW TO MEET THEM * CONVENTIONS: Chicago is the nation's No. I convention and trade show center (nearly 1,000 last year!). Like major sporting events, these happenings bring together hundreds (often thousands) of men under one roof. Chicago's convention and exposition center, Mccormick Place, is on the lakefront south o the downtown business district and has a hot line (312-791-6500) where a recorded message will give you the date, time and place of all current events! (Example: when we called, the Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons was meeting.)