America's 10 Most Miserable Cities

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Cuppa,

When I lived there, we only found one adequate seafood restaurant--on the last day we were there. They guy behind us had ordered stake and complained about it. They should have served him goat.

There are also all those little places that only take cash and screw up your order. Can you spell m a f i a?

The only good thing I can say about Chicago is that I would rather live there than NYC. (Actually...I might change my mind about that.)

 

[CuppaJoe]

For me they go in the only category other than my job that keeps me here.

I wanted to move to Chicago when I got out of H.S. but just about that time all of my relatives were forced out into the burbs, so I went elsewhere. Eventually found another city but it would be nice to live near relatives.

 

[Free To Canoe]

it's not big enough to qualify, but the most depressing, soul-sucking God-forsaken place I've ever been was Blythe, CA. We were there in 2003 while we were driving from San Jose to Houston when I took a job transfer.

We made the mistake of spending the night there (it just happened to be the right distance to plan a stop for the night), and it was just a barren, desert town that looked abandoned as if a nuke had gone off not too far away. It's right along I-10 near the Colorado River, just before the Arizona border.

It reminded me of the saying, "Abandon hope all ye who enter." We were only there for a few hours and then left right after sleeping in a motel there, but we really felt like we were body-snatched by soul-sucking aliens while we were there. We had two cats with us, and they seemed to be lifeless too (though maybe that was thge sedatives we gave them to mellow them out on the long drives in their crate).

A very well written description of Blythe. When I am in that corner of the world, I take extra, extra precautions so that I don't end up having to stop there.

Free

 

[Free To Canoe]

Chicago in the winter is the most horrible place i've ever been. In the summer it's one of the most beautiful cities anywhere. The traffic is still hell though if you live there and can't avoid it because of your work schedule. If your visiting in summer and can avoid the worst of the traffic then it's great. I wouldn't live there because of the snow and lack of room for cars that it creates.

This thread is giving me some more data points on the Chicago.
Now that you mention it, every time I drive through in the winter, it is perpetual lake effect snow. Traffic is horrendous (sp?). Every second time I drove through I got in an accident / or wish I had a gun in the car.
Yea, I guess it deserves to be on the list.

Free

 

[Midpack]

Based on one set of criteria, there's your top ten. But we all have different criteria, there's a reason 10-12 million people live in the greater Chicago metro area.

I've lived near Chicago and it's expensive compared to most places but it has so much more of almost everything to offer than most any other city around (if you really want to see your money fly out of your wallet, give San Fran a whirl). I don't want to live near Chicago forever, but I will definitely miss a lot of what it offers.

Chicago winters are harsh, but summers make up for it, hard to beat Lake Michigan in summer. Unless you live in SoCal (and who can afford to), you pretty much have to choose between harsh winters or brutal summers almost anywhere you live in the US.

Chicago traffic is bad and gets worse all the time - I don't have an offset for this one, traffic can be unnerving.

Memphis sounds terrible too, but I know a lot of people who moved from the Chicagoland area to Memphis - they love it and wouldn't come back...

 

[Sam]

I really think that Flint and Detroit richly deserve to be ranked 1 & 2 worst cities. Am optimist at heart, I am a realist about these places being the 13th level of Hell!

I don't know Flint, but I agree with you on Detroit. That city is scary.

Sam

 

[Sam]

Chicago winters are harsh, but summers make up for it, hard to beat Lake Michigan in summer. Unless you live in SoCal (and who can afford to), you pretty much have to choose between harsh winters or brutal summers almost anywhere you live in the US.

I have a feeling that most people will be able to afford to live in SoCal soon. 1 to 2 years?

Anyway, I thought Chicago is a great city too, except in the winter.

Sam

 

[harley]

Reason magazine rated the 35 worst cities for personal freedom, and Chicago came out on the top (bottom?). If you combine that with the traffic and hellish winters, that's a good enough reason for me to stay away. What's the Matter With Chicago?: and Seattle and New York and Boston...? - Reason Magazine

 

[travelover]

I don't know Flint, but I agree with you on Detroit. That city is scary.

Sam

If you want to see something scary, pull up Detroit on Google Earth, zoom to a level so you can see houses and yards clearly, then do a flyover. About 1/3 of the city is vacant lots, now.

 

[Khan]

If you want to see something scary, pull up Detroit on Google Earth, zoom to a level so you can see houses and yards clearly, then do a flyover. About 1/3 of the city is vacant lots, now.

Crap. It was bad 30 years ago, and that was before they closed the USA Tank Command.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Sorry you couldn't find a decent seafood restaurant here, Gypsy Ed--where'd you end up?

Stupid Cubs.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

If you want to see something scary, pull up Detroit on Google Earth, zoom to a level so you can see houses and yards clearly, then do a flyover. About 1/3 of the city is vacant lots, now.

No need for Google fly over. I drove the scenic route into downtown Detroit from Ann Arbor because my roommate wanted to stop by a Middle Eastern bakery for some sweets. We could have taken the expressway. It was a very interesting drive with me asking him every two blocks just what the heck was so good about these sweets that he had to risk both of our lives, and I'm from New York!

 

[Orchidflower]

Did anyone catch the part where the article states that the Northern District of Illinois caught 385 crooked politicos in the past decade? Quelle surprise.
4 years ago I went back to live in Chicago for a year (having lived there 14 years before). I love so much about Chicago, but with 9MM people living on a postage stamp, there is alot of pushing, shoving and downright anger there on the streets making the city less than pleasant. And, unfortunately, the Police often are just downright nasty to everyone (so noticeable when you have lived in other cities).
Spent some time in Memphis before. Love the city. Hate the crime there.

 

[clifp]

I haven't been to Detroit in many years, or ever to Flint, but I must defend Stockton inclusion on the list if not at the top spot.

Ugly city, pretty much devoid of attractions or scenery. It is surrounded by smelly polluting mega factory farm. For months its in a perpetual fog bank, and followed by Texas hot summers. A hellish multi-hour commute to the Bay Area had to be endured for those seeking decent wage. I think these factors alone qualify it to be on the list.

You add to that the foreclosure capital of the US, and the winner of the worse housing price declines and I think it should rank up near the top.

I knew many people from Stockton but not a single person every wanted to move back.

 

[ziggy29]

Ugly city, pretty much devoid of attractions or scenery. It is surrounded by smelly polluting mega factory farm. For months its in a perpetual fog bank, and followed by Texas hot summers. A hellish multi-hour commute to the Bay Area had to be endured for those seeking decent wage. I think these factors alone qualify it to be on the list.

Ah. So I see you've been to Stockton...

 

[clifp]

Ah. So I see you've been to Stockton...

Yes and even been in Texas during the summer. If I had choice between Stockton summers and Texas summers, I'd choose Hawaii.