St. Louis rates high on magazine’s misery list
Forbes magazine thinks losing sports teams make people miserable. So do lousy weather, high taxes, public corruption, crime, traffic jams, unemployment and environmental eyesores. And guess which city, alone among the 150 biggest in America, ranked in the bottom half of all those categories? That’s right: the magazine ranks St. Louis as the 10th most miserable city in America, without a single thing to brag about. A slideshow mentions this distinction briefly:
The Gateway City scored in the bottom half of all nine categories we looked at for the Forbes Misery Measure. It was the only metro area to pull off that feat.
With spring training about to begin, at least we can take solace in one thing: The Cubs’ success last year didn’t help Chicago very much. It ranks as the third most miserable place in America, earning this cutting comment from Forbes’ Kurt Badenhausen:
Lousy weather, long commutes, rising unemployment and the highest sales tax rate in the country are to blame for the Windy City being near the top of our list. High rates of corruption by public officials didn’t help either.
Stockton, Calif., has the dubious distinction of being named the most miserable place in America. Detroit, the most miserable city a year ago, is only seventh-worst now.
(7 votes, average: 3.43 out of 5)
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David Nicklaus has covered St. Louis business for more than 25 years. His column appears three days a week on the Post-Dispatch business page. 
Until people start valuing public education in St. Louis, not bashing it at every chance they can get, nothing will change. It all springs from that, people.
With that being said, “Hey Windy City, Blow Me!”
this list is idiotic. Remember when Forbes used to be a credible periodical?
I’m guessing that the only category that Detroit didn’t rank in the bottom half was professional sports. I don’t see how St. Louis can rank in the bottom half of every category and only be the 10th most miserable city. I’m originally from Michigan, and I don’t see how St. Louis can only be 3 spots behind Detroit and 4 behind Flint.
What is really the point of this?
Although, I am not surprised Chicago is were they are if traffic plays a role, nightmare, nightmare, nightmare. By the time you get home, it’s time to go to bed and do it all over again, did it for 3 years and don’t care to do it again. Give me St Louis traffic any day of the week.
I’m glad during a time marked by a spiraling economy, a nearly trillion dollar stimulus package, the collapse of the financial system, rising unemployment, hundreds of thousands of layoffs, the housing bust, the credit crunch, declining GDP, plummeting retail sales, and an auto bailout, a “business” magazine has the time to contrive a Top Ten list. I’m looking forward to March’s Forbes featuring the top ten reasons the print media is dying.
I’m not surprised. If anything, I think it should be ranked a lot worse. It’s a city where most of the people who “grew up there” are oblivious to just how much the city sucks. Many of the natives are rude and have no etiquette to newcomers. This is probably attributed to the lack of diversity, fear of strangers due to a high crime rate, and excessive racism.
On top of that, the downtown can only improve so much when all the money is in the suburbs. The suburbs will never give any money to the city because they don’t have to do (the St. Louis City and County divide). Unfortunately, they are too dumb to realize that the more the core of the city dies, the less incentive new talent and business opportunities have to come to St. Louis.
I think St. Louis is a great place to live. Who cares if our sports teams suck right now, they didn’t at many other points in time. Besides a city doesn’t need to revolve or thrive on sports alone. We have Forest Park, a great free zoo, a free art museum, we are a short drive from scenic rolling hills that offer hiking and wineries, some good restaurants, distinct city neighborhoods, change of seasons, and the list goes on and on.
The problem with St. Louisans is that many try to compare our city to other cities which St. Louis will never be. Know the history of this great city and enjoy the many great things it has to offer or move…John you are probably some sort of couch potato.
Moved here a year ago from WI, love it, a little snow, four seasons are all still here. I do have to complain that people can not drive on 70 (the only interstate I take to work) when it rains, snows, its windy, or heck even on a sunny day because there are “sun delays” let me just say what the heck with that one?? Other wise, taxes are less, (except for the stupid personal propety tax) a lot of “family” things like the Zoo are either free or very cheap to take your family too, and if you look out of St Louis proper, most of the area is rather nice. It sucks that the city is going down hill faster and faster, and crime is high, those are cons for sure, but I am glad they have time to tell us who sucks, maybe it’s time we rate them? Oh yea, and Chicago, you can bite me, da bears still suck, and well cubbies, I can’t even say how I feel about you…
Lets see, I raise my family a 10 minute drive from a great park with a great zoo, art museum, history museum and a Science center for free. I can go the other direction and make it to a great Childern’s museum in 15 minutes. We have a choice of a decent public school district or multiple private schools. I spent this past weekend hiking in woods on a decent trail without leaving the St. Louis county I’m that I moved to St. Louis the St. Louis area from Chicago instead of her moving north.
If you can put up with unending blandness of Phoenix and traffic of Southern California or Florida to have warmer weather or an ocean more power to you. Don’t forget you will pay up the nose to get a house. Even after the 30% drop in home values.
As far as Forbes, I suggest Business week if you want a periodically that actually talks about business. Better yet, pick up a Wall Street Journal once in a while.
Hey John, check your history. The reason St. Louis City and County are separated is because the powers in the city didn’t want to pay for the development of the county back in the day. Guess what; it happened anyway. Now that they are on the wrong side of the balance sheet, the city wants money from the county. The problem is, they aren’t willing to give up all their “county” positions that would disappear with a merger. Who do you think would get more votes, the St. Louis County or St. Louis City Sherrif? Same for Treasurer. Do you really think Larry Williams is willing to abdicate his crown? Not likely. That is why all talk of mergers has died.