The Most Miserable Cities In America

A person might ask what would make a city or group of cities show up on a list of the 'most miserable cities in America'. Logic may lead you to a few conclusions. But some deeper thinking will take you further down the path of understanding why these cities fare so poorly and what it means to someone living there.

Yes, we have looked at the Best and Worst Cities in America and we recently took a look at the worst places for foreclosures but generally we try and stay up beat around here. We try and focus the discussion around the Best and Cheapest Places to Live, both in the US and abroad, we often consider the positive aspects of these locations, be they economic, financial or other opportunities but this post looks at things in the different light.

First, what would it take to make most people miserable? Poor weather? That would certainly do it for most. What about poor job opportunities or just a lagging economy, that is certainly high on anyones list these days I am sure. But have you ever considered other things like education, the arts, how about professional sports? And every one's favorite, corruption in politics and government. These are just some of the things that were pointed out in a Forbes article and later parroted in an online post in Yahoo! that helped cities rank well (or poorly) on this most un-prestigious top list.

Depending on a person’s particular interest these and other things lacking or deficient in the over all experience of a city would make it a not so nice place to live. And to make matters even worse these compound on each other. For instance, if you started off your day with weather that was in and of itself discouraging and you add on to that a job that have to work because you can’t find any other or worse, you are unemployed, those two things together would cause you to be more miserable than separate, right? Then at the end of your day you flip on the television and see that the city fathers have absconded another million dollars for themselves or their favorite project. During the news you see crime is up near you and following the news your local sports team loses (again). Then on top of it all, the kids present you with another bad report card.

I am getting depressed just writing about it all. It is no wonder there are certain cities that garner this distinction again and again. It would be a tough battle to win on so many fronts when the municipality has sunk so low to start with. So where does your favorite miserable city rank?

Here is the list Most Miserable Cities In America from Forbes.com:

1. Cleveland, OH
2. Stockton, CA
3. Memphis, TN
4. Detroit, MI
5. Flint, MI
6. Miami, FL
7. St. Louis, MO
8. Buffalo, NY
9. Canton, OH
10. Chicago, IL
11.Modesto, CA
12. Akron, OH
13. Kansas City, MO
14. Rockford, IL
15 Toledo, OH
16. New York, NY
17. Sacramento, CA
18. Youngstown, OH
19. Gary, IN
20. Philadelphia, PA

So there you have it, some of the most miserable cities in the United States but as a parting thought, I want each of you to think of this also. These cities contain some of the happiest, most well adjusted, productive people in the world and out of them have come truly great people. So the lesson that some may draw is that it is not the city or the town where you are from but what you and those around you make of the place. Yes, it might be more enjoyable somewhere else but who is to say that those experiences did not help shape the destiny of the inhabitants. You can make the best of it no matter where you are until and if you decide to move to your best place to live no matter where that may be. And when you are ready you can return to this blog and get all the info you will need.