A western city to avoid (5)
I believe the answer is:
dodge
I believe this is a double definition.
'a western city' is the first definition.
(dodge city, kansas is known for the old west)
'avoid' is the second definition.
(dodging is a kind of avoiding)
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for dodge that I've seen before include "Move quickly out of the way of" , "Evade by moving out of the way" , "Cunning move" , "Evade cunningly" , "Elude, sidestep" .)