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In Pictures: America's Most Miserable Cities Read the full story Kurt Badenhausen
We looked at the 150 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., which meant a minimum population of 371,000. We ranked the cities on unemployment, personal tax rates, commute times, weather, crime and the number and proximity of toxic "Superfund" sites. We added their ranks together to establish what we call the Misery Measure.
The data used in the rankings came from Portland, Ore., researcher Bert Sperling, who last year published the second edition of Cities Ranked & Rated along with Peter Sander. Economic research firm Economy.com, owned by Moody's, also supplied some data.
Thank God I didn't move to Stockton when I had the chance!
Poor Flint - haven't they been beat up enough already?
NYC, Phila, Chicago, Charlotte? Certainly they have their downsides, but their inclusion makes me question the methodology used...
I believe it. I've never thought Charlotte was a particularly nice city. People have moved there to make money in the banking industry, not to enjoy living in a beautiful, crime-free city. And until a few years ago, there were precious few freeways in Charlotte making daily commutes a nightmare, made worse with almost non-existent viable public transportation. My brother is a prison guard in NC, and even though Charlotte has only 1/10 of the state's population, it produces--EASILY--over 1/3 of the state's prisoners.
1. Detroit (dead Rust Belt)
2. Cleveland (dead Rust Belt)
3. Baltimore (dying Rust Belt)
4. Philadelphia (dying Rust Belt)
5. Pittsburgh (dead Rust Belt)
6. Minneapolis/St. Paul (subzero winters ain't my thing...)
7. El Paso (practically part of Mexico)
8. Miami (Third World banana republic)
9. Tie between every single city in New Jersey
10. Los Angeles (another Third World banana republic)
I'm weird. I like.... you know.... art. Culture. Jobs. Stuff to do. I commute, but I don't have to drive. My 15-20 minutes on a train are spent reading and drinking coffee.
I have lived in a couple of these cities and will likely live in a couple more before I'm done. If I cared more, I'd bother checking out what cities Fortune deems worth living in.
That misery index is worse than stupid. It mentions the tax rate and commuting time in NYC? Well, the wages are higher and the place has great mass transit!
For Chicago, it mentions the Cubs and the winter? What if a person is a Sox fan who likes winter?
I find the list useless and worse than subjective.
Has the author been to East St. Louis or East Chicago? That's misery.
If they're talking about bad commutes, air pollution and crime, Phoenix should be on there somewhere. The seven months long of 100-120 degrees doesn't add much to the joy of living there either.
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Stupid Listing
