Atlanta 16th most miserable city
A recent infusion of zombies, seen here on Mitchell Street, may have catapulted Atlanta to No. 16 on Forbes' misery index. (AMC)
Misery loves company, and Atlantans have plenty of it in the recent “Most Miserable Cities” list put together by Forbes.
Atlanta, which didn’t crack the Top 20 in 2012, appears at No. 16 in the 2013 list. I apologize for not putting more numbers in the preceding sentence.
Why is Atlanta so miserable? High foreclosure rates, home values that are down 42% since 2007, and nasty traffic, which you probably know more about than Forbes.
Despite the rainy weather, I don’t feel more miserable than last year, but there’s an explanation for that.
The magazine has tweaked its formula, dropping two criteria — the success of sports teams and political corruption — while adding net migration, the number of people that flee the city. The other familiar barometers of displeasure — unemployment, commute times, violent crimes, home prices, foreclosures, taxes and weather – remain.
Adding net migration to the mix moved last year’s No. 1, Miami, out of the Top 20.
I guess that means last year’s list was not very good at predicting misery.
This year’s list doesn’t seem much better.
Detroit, which has been miserable since someone had the bright idea of creating the Ford Pinto, is once again America’s most pathetic zip code, according to the same magazine that put the city on the cover with the headline “City of Hope” in 2011.
Flint, another city ruined by an inept auto industry, is No. 2.
Chicago is No. 4, which seems high, though I once visited in April and almost froze to death.
Another miss is No. 9, Lake County, Illinois, which is one of the richest “towns” in America, and New York City (No. 10), which has high taxes but is otherwise considered a pretty cool place to live, else Forbes would move their offices.
Youngstown, Ohio, a city so ravaged by fate Bruce Springsteen felt compelled to write a song about it, is No. 20. Call me a “homer” if you wish, but Atlanta is a heck of a lot better place to live than Youngstown.
After carefully reviewing the list, I notice not one “miserable” city has access to a nice, warm ocean.
Thus, all Atlanta needs to be No. 1 on the “LEAST Miserable” list is a beach and schools that educate children. Those can’t be too hard to fix.
Visit Forbes for the complete list.
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127 comments Add your comment
Whatevs
February 26th, 2013
3:07 pm
I hate that whenever a city’s ills are listed and placed out for public consumption, there’s a way to blame minorities for them. It never ceases to amaze me how many of “us” actually perpetuate stereotypes. There are bad apples in every racial bunch, but that doesn’t stop many of “us” from painting with a very broad brush. I wonder what the good, law-abiding folks in Utah and Montana blame their crime rate on?
JREAS
February 26th, 2013
3:09 pm
Every city has citizens who hate it and can’t wait to get out. They’re the “grass is greener” crowd and they’re always going to be miserable, no matter where they live. These people are looking for the perfect city – perfect weather, zero crime, lots of things to do that they like doing, low cost of living, low unemployment, racial harmony, politicians that always make the right decision, etc. Guess what? That city doesn’t exist. And these people can move as many times as they want and they’ll still be miserable.
I moved to Atlanta 4 years ago after living in several other cities. I’ve like all the places I’ve lived, but Atlanta is by far the best. Perfect? Of course not. But I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather live.
sal
February 26th, 2013
3:14 pm
Republicans love to talk about the free market. Not so great when you hand over the key to developers to create a city filled with sprawl. Traffic everywhere. Sprawl everywhere. No sense of place. No walkable neighborhoods, no bike trails. Just spend your gas money and enrich the oil companies, just like Republicans want. When will we talk about fixing real issues in this city? The conservative-owned AJC and WSB only like to talk about crime and ‘government sucks’ stories. How is that moving the city forward? It’s not. Nothing is happening here, nothing is improving here.
You look at other Southern cities and they’re moving forward. Birmingham’s opening a new downtown ballpark in April, Nashville is creating biking and hiking trails and investing in downtown. Charlotte created light rail and is opening a new downtown baseball stadium. What the hell are we doing in ATL? Nothing. Sounds about right. Republicans’ only priority is to funnel all the money to millionaires and screw everyone else.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
February 26th, 2013
3:26 pm
Hollywood Babylon and the New York – LA Sodom and Gomorrah Axis are desperately afraid more Americans will come to the realization that Atlanta is “Heaven on Earth,” the New Jerusalem with no barriers to growth, and continue to move here, abandoning the Talmud/papist Organized Crime-controlled filth pits that are the rest of our major cities. lol
Tough not living in G-d’s Country, but if they repentantly help cast the Beast into the pit and dwell in peace, holiness and righteousness – the norm in Hotlanta – they can, by “Annuit Coeptis,” enjoy the blessings of Our Sovereign, the perfect, infinite, eternal Creator, G-d Almighty, too.
Until then they can turn in their individual sovereignty and guns based on the mass shootings hoaxes their Mob pols, in service to Rothschilds’ and Rockefellers’ satanic pathocracy are using, and stay right where they are.
Mortimer Cuthbert
February 26th, 2013
3:26 pm
Hey Susan! GO! I’ll be fishing while you’re digging out the snow!
Hand Full of Spades
February 26th, 2013
3:44 pm
What did so many expect? Atlanta has became a “transplant” city and has lost almost all of what at one point in time made it great….. the original Atlanta nightlife, traditions, and overall culture has all but disappeared in what was once a great city. Too much Hollywood, money hungry, uppity minded people have invaded the city now, that’s why it seems to be a fake minded city now ( does that make sense now Jack?)
Tracy
February 26th, 2013
3:47 pm
Well, if they had factored in racism and prevailiing sense of white entitlement we’d have cracked the top ten easily.
alpharetta alice
February 26th, 2013
4:06 pm
if we can figure a way to trade Atlanta to South Carolina for Myrtle Beach…lets do it…Atlanta is Cleveland with milder winters…
Larry Busby
February 26th, 2013
4:17 pm
I ain’t miserable. People in the suburbs are the one who are miserable and angry! People are the far right and far left are the ones to blame. I just live my life. Hike, fish, cook, drink, smoke here and there and bang Cheetah girls.
Larry Busby
February 26th, 2013
4:18 pm
@Alpharetta Alice – Myrtle Beach is an even bigger dump than Alpharetta.