If there was a list of places you would not want to live, Forbes just ranked the 10 most miserable (actually 20, but this is after all, a top 10 list). Criteria ranged from economic (unemployment, taxes) to quality of life issues (weather and commute times) to violent crime.
The nine specifically included attributes included:
- Violent crime
- Unemployment rates
- Foreclosures
- Home prices
- Property taxes
- Income taxes
- Commute times
- Weather
- Net Migration
The list of the 10 most miserable places to live will surprise many given such a broad spectrum of factors included in the analysis.
And the winners (or perhaps losers) include:
- Detroit, Michigan
- Flint, Michigan
- Rockford, Illinois
- Chicago, Illinois
- Modesto, California
- Vallejo, California
- Warren, Michigan
- Stockton, California
- Lake County, Illinois
- New York, New York (think high taxes and commute times)
To read the entire list and article (and there are 20 included cities), click here:
I guaranty that there will not be a consensus on this list, and for some, they would call some of these ranking ridiculous. Many would question how New York City could make the list, while Lake County, Illinois, in the 2000 U.S. Census ranked the 31st highest in per capita income.
If left to up to me, anyplace with severally cold weather would be on this list—but I grew up on a farm and ranch and never enjoyed feeding tons of hay each morning in the winter time with sub-zero temperatures. To each their own.
If you have a problem with these rankings, email the author at Forbes to complain. And if you have creative additions, then comment on my blog.
Ted