Northern Ohio is a pretty miserable place to live — at least according to Forbes.com.
The Web site today released its third annual list of ''America's Most Miserable Cities.''
Cleveland topped the rankings, and four of its neighbors also made the list: Canton, ninth; Akron, 12th; Toledo, 15th; and Youngstown, 18th.
Forbes.com ranked communities based on its so-called ''Misery Measure,'' which examined unemployment rates, taxes, commute times, violent crime, weather, Superfund pollution sites, public corruption and how pro sports teams have fared over the past two years. The Web site looked at the nation's 200 largest metro areas.
Of course, the rankings should come with an asterisk.
''By no stretch are we saying that nothing positive is going on in these cities,'' author Kurt Badenhausen said.
Cleveland earned the top spot ''thanks to its high unemployment, high taxes, lousy weather, corruption by public officials and crummy sports teams [Cavaliers of the NBA excepted].''
The rest of the top five are: Stockton, Calif.; Memphis, Tenn.; Detroit; and Flint, Mich. Other cities that made the top 20 are: Miami, Chicago and New York.
As for Akron, Forbes.com says: ''Home to Goodyear Tire and LeBron James, misery will be off the charts if favorite son James bolts the Cavaliers after this season for a new NBA team. Akron's 2.25 percent local income tax rate is one of the highest in the state.''
http://www.ohio.com/news/misery-thy-name-is-northern-ohio...
Akron might be nice but its a sad excuse for a city. Very little to do and less than what you could find to do at your average college town.
"According to the US Census Bureau, Akron has 198,402 residents, 14,308 businesses, and a median income of $34,190."