5 ms·

Is California the most miserable US state to live in?

8 points by simonsarris 16y ago

Jsarokin 16y ago
Definitely not. No matter what some article says, its awesome to live in Cali.
- sp332 16y ago
  California is a big place. Some parts of it are nice, but I definitely believe that "eight out of 20 spots on the publication's annual list of America's Most Miserable Cities are in California".
jackowayed 16y ago
None of those cities are big. I bet they add up to ~10% of the state population.
bugsy 16y ago
The BBC is making a big error (I suspect intentionally) by extrapolating a number of 'miserable' cities, using a given criteria, to "most miserable US state". Many of the most desirable places to live in the world are in California. But there are also some lousy areas there. The central valley in particular is a desert that has miserably hot and sometimes humid weather, plus high unemployment, endemic poverty, and major drug problems as a result of the last two. Some people have advocated breaking California into multiple states, in particular Northern California, Southern California and Central California (the interior part). Central California produces massive amounts of produce but is a relatively unhappy place to be, but not more so than many other similar areas like Idaho.
- positr0n 16y ago
  Where in Idaho is as unhappy as Central California? I ask because I'm thinking about taking a job in Idaho.
  - bugsy 16y ago
    The rural parts. I used Idaho as one of many rural states as an example. Those areas are in bad shape and there is massive meth use, which makes people crazy and violent and quite likely to break into houses and sometimes kill the inhabitants. Had to pick a state so sorry Idaho. I could have said Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota. Family farmer era is over. Farms are owned by Monsanto and ADM slaves. There's been mass-depopulation to the point many towns advertise free lots and sometimes houses if anyone will just move there.
    - positr0n 16y ago
      Thanks for clarifying (and the extra info). I've hardly heard of meth where I'm from, so it was weird driving through the country seeing graphic billboards about it everywhere.
- mturmon 16y ago
  In addition to the problems you mention, the Central Valley was harder hit by the housing bubble.
- TomOfTTB 16y ago
  That's always been a popular theory but if you look at the facts it's not really true. Yes things in central California are bad but the worst city in California (and the one cited in the article) is Stockton which is Northern California by any measure (it's further north than San Francisco). Looking at the Forbes list posted in this thread only 2 of the 8 California cities listed as "most miserable" are in Central California (and that list doesn't include the miserable unincorporated areas bordering Mexico where unemployment is in the 30% range) The other part of the article focuses on California's budget problems. Now without getting into an argument over which political philosophy is better there are two political facts that are not in doubt... 1. Central California is very Republican 2. Republicans have not been in control of the state legislature for AT LEAST 30 years So whatever problems we have in the state government can largely be traced back to Northern and Southern California (though the California Republicans do get an honorable mention for mismanaging their local cities and stirring up trouble whenever a 2/3rd majority is needed)
  - bugsy 16y ago
    "Central California is very Republican" The voters might be but not the population, most of whom are not US citizens. Only US citizens get to vote. I lived in a couple of places in the central valley and have spent quite a bit of time in the area, so don't try to pull a fast one, I know how it is there. Tons of drugs, despair, organized crime, and the crime gangs pay the police, who are corrupt. A big industry is running prisons, a boom economy for the guards who make a fortune shaking down prisoners to deliver them drugs, phones, and contraband.
    - TomOfTTB 16y ago
      The point I was making was that they had very little control over the state government because they elect republicans. So only the voters are relative to that argument. Beyond that your evidence is all anecdotal. There are certainly cities that are as you describe but there are also a lot of cities with perfectly nice communities (Coalinga, Frazier Park, Clovis and others). I don't think either of us has the statistical evidence to know which scenario is the norm
ojbyrne 16y ago
If you've ever lived in the UK, then you'll know that the quality of life just about everywhere is below just about everywhere in the US. Oh Swindon, I do not miss you.
- barrkel 16y ago
  Quality is subjective. I'm Irish born and bred, have lived in west and east London, spent many months in in the Bay area, and travelled around northeast US. Weather better in the northern CA? Sure, though it has its rainy season, and that's a lot rainer than London. Food? Variable, but at its best in major metropolises, of which SF is usually a far distance away, and not less expensive than London. Culture? The car / mall nexus does severe damage to the US's livability to me. San Jose isn't really a city so much as a grid of road intersections in the shadow of an interstate junction. Santa Cruz is out of the way over the hills. SF is where it's at, but again, it's a fair bit away. Essentially, I feel I have a better quality of life in London than I do when I'm in the US.
T-R 16y ago
Browsing the Forbes article - seriously, they used "how the local sports team is doing" as one of their 10 factors for judging how miserable it is to live in a city?
beej71 16y ago
Oh well--that's more California for me, then!
usaar333 16y ago
Ah I see. Since 6/20 cities on the list are in the Central Valley, the far-away, far more populous Bay Area[1], LA, and San Diego must also be miserable. [1] Yes, Vallejo is technically in the Bay Area, but it is so far away from SF/Oak/SJ, that it hardly counts.
phamilton 16y ago
I always felt that the "sun tax" was an appropriate way to describe living in california. If you could pay for sunny skies 330 days a year (like in LA), how much would that be worth to you? That's why the cost of living is higher in California. Simple supply and demand.
MrFlibble 16y ago
If this is misery I'll gladly continue to suffer.
korussian 16y ago
The Forbes List (minus the 20 clicks needed to read it) 1. Stockton, California * 2. Miami, Florida 3. Merced, California * 4. Modesto, California * 5. Sacramento, California * 6. Memphis, Tennessee 7. Chicago, Illinois 8. West Palm Beach, Florida 9. Vallejo, California * 10. Cleveland, Ohio 11. Flint, Michigan 12. Toledo, Ohio 13. Fort Lauderdale, Florida 14. Youngstown, Ohio 15. Detroit, Michigan 16. Washington, D.C. 17. Fresno, California * 18. Salinas, California * 19. Jacksonville, Florida 20. Bakersfield, California * http://www.forbes.com/2011/02/02/stockton-miami-cleveland-business-washington-miserable-cities_slide.html http://www.forbes.com/2011/02/02/stockton-miami-cleveland-bu...
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- abrown28 16y ago
  No where in Texas? Sweet! We win!

8 points by simonsarris 16y ago

Jsarokin 16y ago

Definitely not. No matter what some article says, its awesome to live in Cali.

sp332 16y ago
California is a big place. Some parts of it are nice, but I definitely believe that "eight out of 20 spots on the publication's annual list of America's Most Miserable Cities are in California".

jackowayed 16y ago

None of those cities are big. I bet they add up to ~10% of the state population.

bugsy 16y ago

The BBC is making a big error (I suspect intentionally) by extrapolating a number of 'miserable' cities, using a given criteria, to "most miserable US state". Many of the most desirable places to live in the world are in California. But there are also some lousy areas there. The central valley in particular is a desert that has miserably hot and sometimes humid weather, plus high unemployment, endemic poverty, and major drug problems as a result of the last two. Some people have advocated breaking California into multiple states, in particular Northern California, Southern California and Central California (the interior part). Central California produces massive amounts of produce but is a relatively unhappy place to be, but not more so than many other similar areas like Idaho.

positr0n 16y ago
Where in Idaho is as unhappy as Central California? I ask because I'm thinking about taking a job in Idaho.
- bugsy 16y ago
  The rural parts. I used Idaho as one of many rural states as an example. Those areas are in bad shape and there is massive meth use, which makes people crazy and violent and quite likely to break into houses and sometimes kill the inhabitants. Had to pick a state so sorry Idaho. I could have said Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota. Family farmer era is over. Farms are owned by Monsanto and ADM slaves. There's been mass-depopulation to the point many towns advertise free lots and sometimes houses if anyone will just move there.
  - positr0n 16y ago
    Thanks for clarifying (and the extra info). I've hardly heard of meth where I'm from, so it was weird driving through the country seeing graphic billboards about it everywhere.
mturmon 16y ago
In addition to the problems you mention, the Central Valley was harder hit by the housing bubble.
TomOfTTB 16y ago
That's always been a popular theory but if you look at the facts it's not really true. Yes things in central California are bad but the worst city in California (and the one cited in the article) is Stockton which is Northern California by any measure (it's further north than San Francisco). Looking at the Forbes list posted in this thread only 2 of the 8 California cities listed as "most miserable" are in Central California (and that list doesn't include the miserable unincorporated areas bordering Mexico where unemployment is in the 30% range) The other part of the article focuses on California's budget problems. Now without getting into an argument over which political philosophy is better there are two political facts that are not in doubt... 1. Central California is very Republican 2. Republicans have not been in control of the state legislature for AT LEAST 30 years So whatever problems we have in the state government can largely be traced back to Northern and Southern California (though the California Republicans do get an honorable mention for mismanaging their local cities and stirring up trouble whenever a 2/3rd majority is needed)
- bugsy 16y ago
  "Central California is very Republican" The voters might be but not the population, most of whom are not US citizens. Only US citizens get to vote. I lived in a couple of places in the central valley and have spent quite a bit of time in the area, so don't try to pull a fast one, I know how it is there. Tons of drugs, despair, organized crime, and the crime gangs pay the police, who are corrupt. A big industry is running prisons, a boom economy for the guards who make a fortune shaking down prisoners to deliver them drugs, phones, and contraband.
  - TomOfTTB 16y ago
    The point I was making was that they had very little control over the state government because they elect republicans. So only the voters are relative to that argument. Beyond that your evidence is all anecdotal. There are certainly cities that are as you describe but there are also a lot of cities with perfectly nice communities (Coalinga, Frazier Park, Clovis and others). I don't think either of us has the statistical evidence to know which scenario is the norm

ojbyrne 16y ago

If you've ever lived in the UK, then you'll know that the quality of life just about everywhere is below just about everywhere in the US. Oh Swindon, I do not miss you.

barrkel 16y ago
Quality is subjective. I'm Irish born and bred, have lived in west and east London, spent many months in in the Bay area, and travelled around northeast US. Weather better in the northern CA? Sure, though it has its rainy season, and that's a lot rainer than London. Food? Variable, but at its best in major metropolises, of which SF is usually a far distance away, and not less expensive than London. Culture? The car / mall nexus does severe damage to the US's livability to me. San Jose isn't really a city so much as a grid of road intersections in the shadow of an interstate junction. Santa Cruz is out of the way over the hills. SF is where it's at, but again, it's a fair bit away. Essentially, I feel I have a better quality of life in London than I do when I'm in the US.

T-R 16y ago

Browsing the Forbes article - seriously, they used "how the local sports team is doing" as one of their 10 factors for judging how miserable it is to live in a city?

beej71 16y ago

Oh well--that's more California for me, then!

usaar333 16y ago

Ah I see. Since 6/20 cities on the list are in the Central Valley, the far-away, far more populous Bay Area[1], LA, and San Diego must also be miserable. [1] Yes, Vallejo is technically in the Bay Area, but it is so far away from SF/Oak/SJ, that it hardly counts.

phamilton 16y ago

I always felt that the "sun tax" was an appropriate way to describe living in california. If you could pay for sunny skies 330 days a year (like in LA), how much would that be worth to you? That's why the cost of living is higher in California. Simple supply and demand.

MrFlibble 16y ago

If this is misery I'll gladly continue to suffer.

korussian 16y ago

The Forbes List (minus the 20 clicks needed to read it) 1. Stockton, California * 2. Miami, Florida 3. Merced, California * 4. Modesto, California * 5. Sacramento, California * 6. Memphis, Tennessee 7. Chicago, Illinois 8. West Palm Beach, Florida 9. Vallejo, California * 10. Cleveland, Ohio 11. Flint, Michigan 12. Toledo, Ohio 13. Fort Lauderdale, Florida 14. Youngstown, Ohio 15. Detroit, Michigan 16. Washington, D.C. 17. Fresno, California * 18. Salinas, California * 19. Jacksonville, Florida 20. Bakersfield, California * http://www.forbes.com/2011/02/02/stockton-miami-cleveland-business-washington-miserable-cities_slide.html http://www.forbes.com/2011/02/02/stockton-miami-cleveland-bu...

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
abrown28 16y ago
No where in Texas? Sweet! We win!