Forbes magazine has dubbed Charlotte one of the most miserable places to live. However the city was in good company ranked along side sites such as Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia. The criteria was based on several factors including unemployment, personal tax rates, commute times, weather and crime.

In truth such a declaration is merely a grab for attention and to sell a few magazines. The survey compared 150 of the largest metropolitan areas and ranked them against one another. In relative terms it not surprising that both New York and Los Angeles live up to their reputation as more violent and crime ridden than other cities. However violent crime aside the surprising statistic that forced Charlotte to the top of the list was the sad state of job creation in the region.

According to the article while the local population has soared 32% job creation has not kept pace with unemployment up more than 50%. What is unclear from the text is what this jump is attributed to. Locals are readily aware that high paying white collar jobs have brought many to the area while the eroding blue collar base has greatly contributed to unemployment. Of course the least surprising statistic is the regions tendency toward violent crime. Outside of the city is seems that Charlotte too lives up to its reputation just like New York and LA.

America's Most Miserable Cities

Imagine living in a city with the country's highest rate for violent crime and the second-highest unemployment rate. As an added kicker you need more Superfund dollars allocated to your city to clean up contaminated toxic waste sites than just about any other metro.

Unfortunately, this nightmare is a reality for the residents of Detroit. The Motor City grabs the top spot on Forbes' inaugural list of America's Most Miserable Cities.

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