The Worst Places to Live ... Or Are They?
By CAROL VINZANT
Is your hometown awful? Odds are there is some list out there that puts where you live in the most extreme of some dreaded category for the state, region or country. Your curse may be the highest crime, summer temperatures, or insurance rates. Men's Fitness magazine may label you the Fattest City in America, Las Vegas. Fortune may call you the Fast Food Capital of America, Oklahoma City. But you are far from alone. Newspapers, magazines and books are continually churning out lists of the best and worst places to live. A handful of cities seem to perpetually battle it out over who has the most crime.
Sooner or later every place is at the bottom or top of some list. But every time a new list comes out, whether it is scientific or flippant, a civic booster somewhere is wounded. After 14 years of publishing lists of cities and states by livability, crime, education and health, Morgan Quitno Press (recently acquired by Congressional Quarterly) knows to expect a backlash. Cities hire PR firms to discredit the surveys and say the results are distorted, says CQ spokesman Ben Krasney. Local editorial pages are filled with angry letters and talk of the hard to quantify local character.
We decided to take a closer look at the places that are always showing up on the worst-places-to-live lists and give them their say. We look at the complaints, but also assess why so many people stay and others continue to move there. Here's our take on the cons -- and pros -- of some of the worst places to live in America:
BALTIMORE
A couple of years ago, a local TV station in Baltimore began a story: "Baltimore has inched closer to the top of yet another dubious list." Baltimore's bad rap is mainly crime, but it's also often portrayed as a gritty city in decline.
A Baltimore crime blog polled readers on whether the official murder toll would top 300 in 2007; most thought it would. The final score was 282, the highest since 1999. The most popular images of Baltimore have been the David Simon dramas Homicide and The Wire, about cops waging a dreary struggle against gang wars, corruption and an institutional indifference to drug dealers and murderers.
For all that, though, Baltimore is forever fixing itself up. The first step was the National Aquarium, which opened in 1981. But Nancy Hinds, spokesperson for Baltimore.org admits, "We could never get people to go beyond the aquarium." Now that's changing as hotels, condos, restaurants and shops are popping up farther and farther from the Inner Harbor. "Baltimore is undergoing a major renaissance," says Hinds.
One reason people are drawn to the city has been real estate prices that are far more reasonable than those in Washington D.C., which is an easy commute. Plus, it's got waterfront views and a less competitive culture.
"Baltimore has changed dramatically," Hinds says. "If someone hasn't been to Baltimore lately, they don't have any idea what we're about."
LAS VEGAS
Do you want your hometown to be where everyone comes to gamble, carouse and generally do things they're ashamed to admit at home? And do you want to live in what may be the epicenter of the real estate meltdown? It now seems too many Vegas homeowners were gambling with larger mortgage payments than they could afford. Las Vegas has the nation's highest foreclosure rate, along with sharply falling prices.
Then there's the other ugly truth about gambling (aside from questions about its basic morality or the crushingly short-lived nature of this form of entertainment): Its biggest fan base may be hordes of seniors.
"Beneath the respectable veneer of drinking and whoring and gambling and carrying on, there is an undercurrent of right-wing conservatism that seems unnerving," says Hugh Jackson, who runs the Las Vegas blog LasVegasGleaner.com.
The conservatism translates to little public spending on schools. However, at its finest, Vegas is a city of opportunity that draws people from around the world.
"My city has a workforce of people who have high school education ... who own their own homes, drive decent cars, have some of the best healthcare in the nation, have stable retirement plans and the option of sending their children to college all thanks to organized labor," Jackson boasts of his city. He hopes falling prices will make it affordable to workers again.
DETROIT
Morgan Quitno's annual reference book on crime stats ranks Detroit the most dangerous city in America. With the decline of the auto industry and Motown, Detroit has been a blighted ghost. City boosters tried to fix it up for the Superbowl in 2005, but it didn't quite live up to expectations.
But for an emerging crowd of ambitious 20- and 30-somethings, all those negatives spell big opportunity. Real estate is affordable and you can have a bigger impact at a younger age, says Andrew Koper, president of Cityscape Detroit, a non-profit dedicated to improving the "built environment" in Detroit.
"My experience has been that urban pioneers are the smartest, hardest-working, most altruistic people you'll meet anywhere," Koper says. "You meet some great people trying to do some great things."
Detroit's charm is that it's a real American city, not just a tall pile of suburban sprawl. It boasts a rich music heritage (Motown anyone?), is the undisputed automotive capital of the U.S. and has a passionate sports scene.
As for the crime, Koper says, "If you go looking for trouble you can find it. You can also kind of avoid it." His main plug: "It's really rewarding helping to make a great city as opposed to just consuming what other people are doing," Koper says.
NEW YORK CITY
The high cost of living and dense population of New York City make it seem a daunting place to live. The average price of a Manhattan apartment is $1.3 million. Parking spaces go for the price of McMansions in other cities. And many apartments arent that much bigger than parking spaces. Everything seems like a project even getting a table in a restaurant in this fast-paced, aggressive, ambitious culture. Rapid high-end real estate development has quashed some of the citys charm and made living here all but impossible for young creative types.
"One of the great things about New York used to be the incredible cross-section of people. You could be rich or poor, but as long as you were willing to work hard and give up some of life's luxuries, you could live near some of the greatest cultural amenities in the world," says Andrew Berman, president of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
Still, New York has done a better job fending off the crushing wave of chain stores that make every place in America feel the same, Berman says. And since so many people continue to want to live in New York City, its real estate market remains surprisingly healthy. Bottom line: New York City is still a land of opportunity whether you're seeking fame, fortune, culture, or just want to live in the center of it all. On that score, no other city can compete.
LOS ANGELES
Fires, freeways and active encouragement of all that is fake in American culture -- that is what L.A. is known for. It was also called the most polluted city in the country by the American Lung Association.
Juliet Annerino, writing on the site Helium.com, is sick of people who haven't even been to Los Angeles dismissing her city. "Lala -land is shunned, slandered, and verbally assaulted by those imagining themselves somehow superior," she writes. As for being addicted to vacuous means of self-improvement, Annerino notes that the rest of the country always seems to follow whatever trend Los Angelinos invent. "This is where one truly feels the exhilaration [and] power to reinvent oneself," she says. "This is where people live out their deepest desires, as well as their most capricious whims."
Annerino rates Los Angeles residents as far more spiritual than the city's dowdy critics around the country realize. The most creative outcasts from other communities all go there to find work, acceptance and some fun, she believes. As she puts it, "L.A. doesn't make unconventional people: unconventional people make L.A."
EAST ST. LOUIS
Like so many cities whose principal industries have now fled overseas, East St. Louis, Illinois has a dead-end feel to it. The city has suffered riots, suburban flight, gangs, crime and now the Army Corps of Engineers thinks its Mississippi River levees might not hold. Its population is less than half its peak.
Fern Watts, however, is one of the residents that gives the city some hope for redevelopment. As a volunteer for South End New Development Organization, she has pressured city leaders to demolish derelict buildings and pave decrepit streets.
"It-s a challenge, it is quite a challenge," Watts says. "But I would like to think that we're making progress." As part of a new project, Watts is helping pull together neighborhood activists across the city.
Probably its most notable attraction is the Gateway Geyser, the tallest fountain in the U.S., which soars to 630 feet, mirroring the St. Louis Gateway Arch across the Mississippi River. It was completed in 1995, illuminated in 2005, and there are plans for a nearby scenic overlook. East St. Louis also has benefited from new housing and transportation projects.
RETIREMENT FLORIDA
Parts of Florida have the highest percentage of seniors in the country. Hurricanes visit. Miami has bad traffic. Summers are hot. And insurance is high.
Yet for all that, points out retired developer Ken Myers, people still flock to Florida, mainly for the weather and relaxed living. The trick, he says, is to pick the community where you fit in. Families tend to live inland, where it's more affordable. Retirees have to pick carefully to find a community that suits their age, activity level and interests.
The beauty of Florida is that it has a niche and a city for everyone. "Todays retirees want to be near a metro area, they want the advantages of a big city, but they don't want to be in it," Myers says.
Plus, Florida may not be as gray as people think. Tampa has a median age of 35.1, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That compares with a nationwide median household age of 36.4. Tampa is even younger than San Francisco (39.4) and about the same as Philly (35.3).
MISSISSIPPI
"Who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?" Representative Charles Rangel, Democrat from New York, asked recently, delivering an offhand slap across the face to beleaguered Mississippi residents. Morgan Quitno delivered a more thorough and comprehensive drubbing, naming Mississippi as the least livable state based on objective data in 44 categories. It's those pesky categories like literacy, infant mortality and poverty that continually bring Mississippi down.
But naturally, when such poor rankings came out, Mississippi reacted. If it were really that bad, nobody would live here, argued Maury Granger and Gregory Price, economics professors who wrote a rebuttal "Is Mississippi Really the Worst Place to Live?" They argue that the survey is too academic, using a slew of measures that don't really matter to people who live there, such as voter participation. Meanwhile, the rankings may be further skewed by "omitting some unobserved and unaccounted for potential amenity valued by individuals."
Mississippi played a pivotal role in American history, making the state a mecca for history buffs. It has generated some of America's greatest writers (William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Alice Walker, to name a few). The state is also the cultural home to American Blues, home to musicians such as Charlie Patton, Bo Diddley, and B.B. King.
NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans has long competed with Baltimore and Detroit for the title of Murder Capital. Even before Hurricane Katrina hit, many neighborhoods outside the tourist area had too little economic opportunity and too much crime. The storm brought death, demolished homes and sent residents fleeing. Now about two-thirds have returned, but it seems the criminals were among the first back. The Rand Corporation just issued a report saying the city needs to fix its reputation for cronyism and failing infrastructure.
New Orleans, however, does offer a rich culture distinct from strip malls and chain stores. It's still a city with a sense of fun. There is music, Mardi Gras, Cajun food, and a wealth of its own idiosyncratic traditions."It has an incredible sense of place," says blogger Alan Gutierrez. "Especially for someone like myself, coming from Michigan, which is an endless loop of this McDonalds and that McDonald's and this Target and that Target."
The rebuilding of the city means that everyone who has chosen to return is engaged and invested in the future, Gutierrez says.
PHILADELPHIA
Of the large and powerful cities of the East Coast, Philadelphia has always been the picked-on, runty little brother. The assumption is that if someone from Philly has any hustle, surely they will move to New York or Washington. Like many cities with poor neighborhoods, Philly has a declining population and a crime problem. It has the highest murder rate for blacks among big cities.
To its credit, however, Philadelphia is rich with history and culture, plus it is far less expensive and has less attitude than its East Coast rivals. Its diverse population combined with strong academic and cultural institutions give it much of the vibrancy of New York without the fierce competition or crowds.
A compact city with lots of restaurants and nightlife is what attracted Robert Weinberg, director of City Food Tours, which showcases local gourmet stores and restaurants. "We have so many different neighborhoods that are so close together," Weinberg says. "That makes it easier to get around. Within a six-block radius there are enough attractions to keep any tour operator happy." Residents find it a very livable place.
MILWAUKEE
The stereotype of Milwaukee culture is beer, brats and cheese and many cheeseheads eagerly embrace the image, says blogger Karen Cinpinski. But thats not all there is to life here on Lake Michigan. "I dont eat a bratwurst for every meal," Cinpinski says. "It's an occasional beer here, not constant binge drinking. I don't know if people envision cows standing at intersections."
While the nation dismisses the city as pasty and fat from hiding from the cold all winter, there's plenty to do outside, with gorgeous trails, beaches and parks, she claims. "If you dont have a car, you can get places by bike," Cinpinski says. "If you do have a car, the traffic's not that bad."
Compared to big cities like neighboring Chicago, Milwaukee is much more affordable, with a one bedroom apartment costing about $500/month she says. More than that, the city has original gems that might have been pushed aside in a bigger city. The eclectic Third Ward is leading a renaissance.
"Our restaurants and bars kind of stand out a little more, because they have the quirks," Cinpinski says. "There's just a little more flavor, I think."
SCRANTON
When television producers were looking to transplant the BBC hit The Office and needed a dreary mediocre city, they turned to Scranton. Once known as "Anthracite Capital of the World," Scranton saw hard times when coal fell out of favor and big companies moved away, a decline that started decades ago.
Scranton, however, is trying to wage a comeback and has a sense of humor about its dreary image and second enthusiastic nickname, "The Electric City." The city hosted a convention for The Office and hangs banners for its fictional paper company Dunder-Miflin around town. "Life moves a little slower in Scranton, and thats the way we like it," The Office's jerky boss Michael Scott narrates an informative video. On YouTube you can find a Scranton Rap video that describes Scranton as, "a city of empty minds and trains that just don't run, but oh what fun."
Meanwhile its wooing young people to stay or move back home with programs like Rediscover Scranton. Robert Watts, director of the Scranton Chapter of POWER! (Professionals Organized and Working to Enrich the Region), pushes the quality of life and low cost of living and running a business. When he heard about tech businesses starting up, he decided he wanted to move back and "be a part of it," he says.
He also likes the eccentric character of the town. "I like the boutiques, the coffee shops, the first Medical School in the U.S. since Kennedy was President, The Office fame, the Scranton Enterprise Center, and all of that Electric City Renaissance jazz," he writes on a blog on Scranton resurgence. "But I love the throwbacks hidden in the downtown."
NEWARK
The largest city in the country's most densely populated state, Newark is hardly thought of as a city at all sometimes. Instead people tend to think of it as an airport, a knot of Jersey highways, a den of corrupt politicians and the site of race riots in 1967. It's an also-ran in the continual murder rate race.
After decades of plotting a comeback, some believe Newark may actually be making progress this time. The city elected Rhodes scholar and community activist Cory Booker as mayor in 2006, hoping to end decades of corruption. Booker is cracking down on illegal guns and working to bring development and better education. Some refugees from the New York City real estate market are starting to consider Newark as a practical alternative.
L. Craig Schoonmaker writes about Newark on his web site, Resurgence City, reminding people that it's not all urban grit. There are more cherry trees than Washington, a long history, good public transport and, he hopes, a bright future.
The trouble with lists of the worst places to live is that people can't just pick up and move when their city runs into trouble, real or imaginary. Family, jobs, friends, houses and other intangible factors tie you to your hometown. Just remember, there are good reasons to live in any of the cities labeled as the "worst." And strong relationships with friends, coworkers and family are probably much more important to whether you enjoy your life than your citys status.
Carol Vinzant is a freelance writer in New York City.
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Sooner or later every place is at the bottom or top of some list. But every time a new list comes out, whether it is scientific or flippant, a civic booster somewhere is wounded. After 14 years of publishing lists of cities and states by livability, crime, education and health, Morgan Quitno Press (recently acquired by Congressional Quarterly) knows to expect a backlash. Cities hire PR firms to discredit the surveys and say the results are distorted, says CQ spokesman Ben Krasney. Local editorial pages are filled with angry letters and talk of the hard to quantify local character.
We decided to take a closer look at the places that are always showing up on the worst-places-to-live lists and give them their say. We look at the complaints, but also assess why so many people stay and others continue to move there. Here's our take on the cons -- and pros -- of some of the worst places to live in America:
BALTIMORE
A couple of years ago, a local TV station in Baltimore began a story: "Baltimore has inched closer to the top of yet another dubious list." Baltimore's bad rap is mainly crime, but it's also often portrayed as a gritty city in decline.
A Baltimore crime blog polled readers on whether the official murder toll would top 300 in 2007; most thought it would. The final score was 282, the highest since 1999. The most popular images of Baltimore have been the David Simon dramas Homicide and The Wire, about cops waging a dreary struggle against gang wars, corruption and an institutional indifference to drug dealers and murderers.
For all that, though, Baltimore is forever fixing itself up. The first step was the National Aquarium, which opened in 1981. But Nancy Hinds, spokesperson for Baltimore.org admits, "We could never get people to go beyond the aquarium." Now that's changing as hotels, condos, restaurants and shops are popping up farther and farther from the Inner Harbor. "Baltimore is undergoing a major renaissance," says Hinds.
One reason people are drawn to the city has been real estate prices that are far more reasonable than those in Washington D.C., which is an easy commute. Plus, it's got waterfront views and a less competitive culture.
"Baltimore has changed dramatically," Hinds says. "If someone hasn't been to Baltimore lately, they don't have any idea what we're about."
LAS VEGAS
Do you want your hometown to be where everyone comes to gamble, carouse and generally do things they're ashamed to admit at home? And do you want to live in what may be the epicenter of the real estate meltdown? It now seems too many Vegas homeowners were gambling with larger mortgage payments than they could afford. Las Vegas has the nation's highest foreclosure rate, along with sharply falling prices.
Then there's the other ugly truth about gambling (aside from questions about its basic morality or the crushingly short-lived nature of this form of entertainment): Its biggest fan base may be hordes of seniors.
"Beneath the respectable veneer of drinking and whoring and gambling and carrying on, there is an undercurrent of right-wing conservatism that seems unnerving," says Hugh Jackson, who runs the Las Vegas blog LasVegasGleaner.com.
The conservatism translates to little public spending on schools. However, at its finest, Vegas is a city of opportunity that draws people from around the world.
"My city has a workforce of people who have high school education ... who own their own homes, drive decent cars, have some of the best healthcare in the nation, have stable retirement plans and the option of sending their children to college all thanks to organized labor," Jackson boasts of his city. He hopes falling prices will make it affordable to workers again.
DETROIT
Morgan Quitno's annual reference book on crime stats ranks Detroit the most dangerous city in America. With the decline of the auto industry and Motown, Detroit has been a blighted ghost. City boosters tried to fix it up for the Superbowl in 2005, but it didn't quite live up to expectations.
But for an emerging crowd of ambitious 20- and 30-somethings, all those negatives spell big opportunity. Real estate is affordable and you can have a bigger impact at a younger age, says Andrew Koper, president of Cityscape Detroit, a non-profit dedicated to improving the "built environment" in Detroit.
"My experience has been that urban pioneers are the smartest, hardest-working, most altruistic people you'll meet anywhere," Koper says. "You meet some great people trying to do some great things."
Detroit's charm is that it's a real American city, not just a tall pile of suburban sprawl. It boasts a rich music heritage (Motown anyone?), is the undisputed automotive capital of the U.S. and has a passionate sports scene.
As for the crime, Koper says, "If you go looking for trouble you can find it. You can also kind of avoid it." His main plug: "It's really rewarding helping to make a great city as opposed to just consuming what other people are doing," Koper says.
NEW YORK CITY
The high cost of living and dense population of New York City make it seem a daunting place to live. The average price of a Manhattan apartment is $1.3 million. Parking spaces go for the price of McMansions in other cities. And many apartments arent that much bigger than parking spaces. Everything seems like a project even getting a table in a restaurant in this fast-paced, aggressive, ambitious culture. Rapid high-end real estate development has quashed some of the citys charm and made living here all but impossible for young creative types.
"One of the great things about New York used to be the incredible cross-section of people. You could be rich or poor, but as long as you were willing to work hard and give up some of life's luxuries, you could live near some of the greatest cultural amenities in the world," says Andrew Berman, president of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
Still, New York has done a better job fending off the crushing wave of chain stores that make every place in America feel the same, Berman says. And since so many people continue to want to live in New York City, its real estate market remains surprisingly healthy. Bottom line: New York City is still a land of opportunity whether you're seeking fame, fortune, culture, or just want to live in the center of it all. On that score, no other city can compete.
LOS ANGELES
Fires, freeways and active encouragement of all that is fake in American culture -- that is what L.A. is known for. It was also called the most polluted city in the country by the American Lung Association.
Juliet Annerino, writing on the site Helium.com, is sick of people who haven't even been to Los Angeles dismissing her city. "Lala -land is shunned, slandered, and verbally assaulted by those imagining themselves somehow superior," she writes. As for being addicted to vacuous means of self-improvement, Annerino notes that the rest of the country always seems to follow whatever trend Los Angelinos invent. "This is where one truly feels the exhilaration [and] power to reinvent oneself," she says. "This is where people live out their deepest desires, as well as their most capricious whims."
Annerino rates Los Angeles residents as far more spiritual than the city's dowdy critics around the country realize. The most creative outcasts from other communities all go there to find work, acceptance and some fun, she believes. As she puts it, "L.A. doesn't make unconventional people: unconventional people make L.A."
EAST ST. LOUIS
Like so many cities whose principal industries have now fled overseas, East St. Louis, Illinois has a dead-end feel to it. The city has suffered riots, suburban flight, gangs, crime and now the Army Corps of Engineers thinks its Mississippi River levees might not hold. Its population is less than half its peak.
Fern Watts, however, is one of the residents that gives the city some hope for redevelopment. As a volunteer for South End New Development Organization, she has pressured city leaders to demolish derelict buildings and pave decrepit streets.
"It-s a challenge, it is quite a challenge," Watts says. "But I would like to think that we're making progress." As part of a new project, Watts is helping pull together neighborhood activists across the city.
Probably its most notable attraction is the Gateway Geyser, the tallest fountain in the U.S., which soars to 630 feet, mirroring the St. Louis Gateway Arch across the Mississippi River. It was completed in 1995, illuminated in 2005, and there are plans for a nearby scenic overlook. East St. Louis also has benefited from new housing and transportation projects.
RETIREMENT FLORIDA
Parts of Florida have the highest percentage of seniors in the country. Hurricanes visit. Miami has bad traffic. Summers are hot. And insurance is high.
Yet for all that, points out retired developer Ken Myers, people still flock to Florida, mainly for the weather and relaxed living. The trick, he says, is to pick the community where you fit in. Families tend to live inland, where it's more affordable. Retirees have to pick carefully to find a community that suits their age, activity level and interests.
The beauty of Florida is that it has a niche and a city for everyone. "Todays retirees want to be near a metro area, they want the advantages of a big city, but they don't want to be in it," Myers says.
Plus, Florida may not be as gray as people think. Tampa has a median age of 35.1, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That compares with a nationwide median household age of 36.4. Tampa is even younger than San Francisco (39.4) and about the same as Philly (35.3).
MISSISSIPPI
"Who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?" Representative Charles Rangel, Democrat from New York, asked recently, delivering an offhand slap across the face to beleaguered Mississippi residents. Morgan Quitno delivered a more thorough and comprehensive drubbing, naming Mississippi as the least livable state based on objective data in 44 categories. It's those pesky categories like literacy, infant mortality and poverty that continually bring Mississippi down.
But naturally, when such poor rankings came out, Mississippi reacted. If it were really that bad, nobody would live here, argued Maury Granger and Gregory Price, economics professors who wrote a rebuttal "Is Mississippi Really the Worst Place to Live?" They argue that the survey is too academic, using a slew of measures that don't really matter to people who live there, such as voter participation. Meanwhile, the rankings may be further skewed by "omitting some unobserved and unaccounted for potential amenity valued by individuals."
Mississippi played a pivotal role in American history, making the state a mecca for history buffs. It has generated some of America's greatest writers (William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Alice Walker, to name a few). The state is also the cultural home to American Blues, home to musicians such as Charlie Patton, Bo Diddley, and B.B. King.
NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans has long competed with Baltimore and Detroit for the title of Murder Capital. Even before Hurricane Katrina hit, many neighborhoods outside the tourist area had too little economic opportunity and too much crime. The storm brought death, demolished homes and sent residents fleeing. Now about two-thirds have returned, but it seems the criminals were among the first back. The Rand Corporation just issued a report saying the city needs to fix its reputation for cronyism and failing infrastructure.
New Orleans, however, does offer a rich culture distinct from strip malls and chain stores. It's still a city with a sense of fun. There is music, Mardi Gras, Cajun food, and a wealth of its own idiosyncratic traditions."It has an incredible sense of place," says blogger Alan Gutierrez. "Especially for someone like myself, coming from Michigan, which is an endless loop of this McDonalds and that McDonald's and this Target and that Target."
The rebuilding of the city means that everyone who has chosen to return is engaged and invested in the future, Gutierrez says.
PHILADELPHIA
Of the large and powerful cities of the East Coast, Philadelphia has always been the picked-on, runty little brother. The assumption is that if someone from Philly has any hustle, surely they will move to New York or Washington. Like many cities with poor neighborhoods, Philly has a declining population and a crime problem. It has the highest murder rate for blacks among big cities.
To its credit, however, Philadelphia is rich with history and culture, plus it is far less expensive and has less attitude than its East Coast rivals. Its diverse population combined with strong academic and cultural institutions give it much of the vibrancy of New York without the fierce competition or crowds.
A compact city with lots of restaurants and nightlife is what attracted Robert Weinberg, director of City Food Tours, which showcases local gourmet stores and restaurants. "We have so many different neighborhoods that are so close together," Weinberg says. "That makes it easier to get around. Within a six-block radius there are enough attractions to keep any tour operator happy." Residents find it a very livable place.
MILWAUKEE
The stereotype of Milwaukee culture is beer, brats and cheese and many cheeseheads eagerly embrace the image, says blogger Karen Cinpinski. But thats not all there is to life here on Lake Michigan. "I dont eat a bratwurst for every meal," Cinpinski says. "It's an occasional beer here, not constant binge drinking. I don't know if people envision cows standing at intersections."
While the nation dismisses the city as pasty and fat from hiding from the cold all winter, there's plenty to do outside, with gorgeous trails, beaches and parks, she claims. "If you dont have a car, you can get places by bike," Cinpinski says. "If you do have a car, the traffic's not that bad."
Compared to big cities like neighboring Chicago, Milwaukee is much more affordable, with a one bedroom apartment costing about $500/month she says. More than that, the city has original gems that might have been pushed aside in a bigger city. The eclectic Third Ward is leading a renaissance.
"Our restaurants and bars kind of stand out a little more, because they have the quirks," Cinpinski says. "There's just a little more flavor, I think."
SCRANTON
When television producers were looking to transplant the BBC hit The Office and needed a dreary mediocre city, they turned to Scranton. Once known as "Anthracite Capital of the World," Scranton saw hard times when coal fell out of favor and big companies moved away, a decline that started decades ago.
Scranton, however, is trying to wage a comeback and has a sense of humor about its dreary image and second enthusiastic nickname, "The Electric City." The city hosted a convention for The Office and hangs banners for its fictional paper company Dunder-Miflin around town. "Life moves a little slower in Scranton, and thats the way we like it," The Office's jerky boss Michael Scott narrates an informative video. On YouTube you can find a Scranton Rap video that describes Scranton as, "a city of empty minds and trains that just don't run, but oh what fun."
Meanwhile its wooing young people to stay or move back home with programs like Rediscover Scranton. Robert Watts, director of the Scranton Chapter of POWER! (Professionals Organized and Working to Enrich the Region), pushes the quality of life and low cost of living and running a business. When he heard about tech businesses starting up, he decided he wanted to move back and "be a part of it," he says.
He also likes the eccentric character of the town. "I like the boutiques, the coffee shops, the first Medical School in the U.S. since Kennedy was President, The Office fame, the Scranton Enterprise Center, and all of that Electric City Renaissance jazz," he writes on a blog on Scranton resurgence. "But I love the throwbacks hidden in the downtown."
NEWARK
The largest city in the country's most densely populated state, Newark is hardly thought of as a city at all sometimes. Instead people tend to think of it as an airport, a knot of Jersey highways, a den of corrupt politicians and the site of race riots in 1967. It's an also-ran in the continual murder rate race.
After decades of plotting a comeback, some believe Newark may actually be making progress this time. The city elected Rhodes scholar and community activist Cory Booker as mayor in 2006, hoping to end decades of corruption. Booker is cracking down on illegal guns and working to bring development and better education. Some refugees from the New York City real estate market are starting to consider Newark as a practical alternative.
L. Craig Schoonmaker writes about Newark on his web site, Resurgence City, reminding people that it's not all urban grit. There are more cherry trees than Washington, a long history, good public transport and, he hopes, a bright future.
The trouble with lists of the worst places to live is that people can't just pick up and move when their city runs into trouble, real or imaginary. Family, jobs, friends, houses and other intangible factors tie you to your hometown. Just remember, there are good reasons to live in any of the cities labeled as the "worst." And strong relationships with friends, coworkers and family are probably much more important to whether you enjoy your life than your citys status.
Carol Vinzant is a freelance writer in New York City.
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