Detroit America's 2nd Least Favorite City to live/work in

There's an article with this, but who cares about that? If you do, read it here

Best Cities to Work and Live:

New York
Rank: 1
Workers who would like to move there: 11%
Median household income: $48,631
Median home value: $584,761
Annual home price change: -2.18%

New York, one of the world's great cities, is home to Wall Street, the Broadway theatre district, and many of the best bars, art movie houses, and restaurants in the world. The city's largest employers include New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, and financial companies such as Citigroup and J.P. Morgan Chase. Top attributes include entertainment options, professional/personal opportunities, and ease of transportation. Entertainment was cited by 51% of respondents.

San Diego
Rank: 2
Workers who would like to move there: 11%
Median household income: $61,863
Median home value: $393,029
Annual home price change: -14.7%

San Diego, California's second-largest city, has 70 miles of beaches, a world-famous zoo, major scientific research institutions, and numerous military installations. The largest employers include the military, the state and federal government, the Sharp Healthcare hospitals, the University of California at San Diego, and major companies such as AT&T. Workers said the city's best attributes were its environment (climate, parks, natural features, etc.), its image, and entertainment options. The environment was cited by 77% of workers.

San Francisco
Rank: 3
Workers who would like to move there: 9%
Median household income: $68,023
Median home value: $766,985
Annual home price change: -5.5%

San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world (it's also one of the most expensive). It's a progressive city with a vibrant economy, a vibrant arts and cultural scene, and a busy seaport. The University of California, San Francisco is one of the nation's top medical colleges. The city has become a biotech and technology center like neighboring Silicon Valley. The city's top attributes, according to the survey, were the environment (climate, parks, natural features, etc.), entertainment options, residents' background, talents and perspectives, and professional/personal opportunities.

Las Vegas
Rank: 4
Workers who would like to move there: 8%
Median household: $55,996
Median home value: $195,825
Annual home price change: -25.2%

Las Vegas moved up the list this year, partly because—with home prices plunging—it has become more affordable to live here. Residents love the entertainment options, which go far beyond gambling. The city also has become a destination for foodies. Celebrity chefs have opened many expensive eateries. But delicious and affordable Asian and Latin-American restaurants have popped up in strip malls away from the Vegas Strip. Vegas' top attributes, according to the survey, are the entertainment options, affordability, and environment (climate, parks, natural features). The city's best attribute was its entertainment options, which 56% of respondents cited, followed by affordability, which half of workers cited.

Los Angeles
Rank: 5
Workers who would like to move there: 8%
Median household income: $47,781
Median home value: $466,630
Annual home price change: -17.8%

Los Angeles, probably best known as the home of Hollywood, is a great place for people hoping to break into the movie, television, and music industries. But it also is home to excellent universities such as the University of Southern California and large corporations such as aerospace contractor Northrop Grumman. Workers answering the survey said the city's best attributes are its entertainment options, personal and professional opportunities, and the environment (climate, park space, and natural resources). About 42% cited entertainment options as the city's best attribute.

Seattle
Rank: 6
Workers who would like to move there: 8%
Median household income: 57,849
Median home value: $416,028
Annual home price change: -7.5%

The Seattle area's largest employers include Boeing and Microsoft. But many people come here for the lifestyle. The city is surrounded by lakes and mountains and has a great music and arts scene. The city's best attribute by far, according to the survey, is the environment (including the climate, park space, and natural resources), which 62% of workers cited. "Community—connectivity and sense of place" was mentioned by 29% of respondents.

Denver
Rank: 7
Workers who would like to move there: 7%
Median household income: $44,444
Median home value: $206,669
Annual home price change: -6.7%

The Mile-High City, located near the foot of the Rocky Mountains, is a popular place for outdoor enthusiasts. It has a large park system, 300 days of sunshine each year, and opportunities for biking, skiing, rafting, and hiking. The city's largest employers include Qwest Communications, HealthOne, Lockheed Martin Corp., the University of Denver, and United Airlines. Environment (climate, park space, natural resources) is the city's best attribute (It was cited by 74% of workers in the survey). Also high on the attribute list: affordability and image.

Phoenix
Rank: 8
Workers who would like to move there: 6%
Median household income: $48,061
Median home value: $176,176
Annual home price change: -20.2%

Phoenix, one of the nation's largest cities, has become a popular place for retirees because of its warm climate and affordable housing, which keeps getting more affordable with the rising tide of foreclosures and plummeting home prices. The area also has plenty of opportunities for golfing, hiking, biking, and camping. Phoenix's top employers include Allied Waste Industries, the Apollo Group, and PetSmart. Environment and affordability are the city's best attributes, according to the survey.

Chicago
Rank: 9
Workers who would like to move there: 6%
Median household income: $45,505
Median home value: $234,643
Annual home price change: -8.9%

Chicago, hometown of President-elect Barack Obama, is the third-largest city in the U.S. and is one of its major financial centers. The city is known for its architecture, museums, shopping, and nightlife. The area's top employers include Jewel-Osco supermarkets, United Airlines, and J.P. Morgan. The city's best attributes, according to the survey, include entertainment options, affordability, and personal and professional opportunity.

Boston
Rank: 10
Workers who would like to move there: 6%
Median household income: $50,476
Median home value: $352,429
Annual home price change: -3.9%

Boston is one of America's oldest cities and home to some of the country's most venerated universities and hospitals. Many of Boston's residents work in finance, education, health, and law. The city's largest employers include Massachusetts General Hospital, Fidelity Investments, and Boston University. Respondents to the survey said the Boston area is a good place to raise a family, has nice outdoor features such as park space, and offers good entertainment options.

Worst Cities to Work and Live

New York
Rank: 1
Workers who would not like to move there: 15%
Median household income: $48,631
Median home value: $584,761
Annual home price change: -2.18%

Americans have a love/hate relationship with New York. It does have loads of high-paying jobs, Central Park (one of the largest urban parks in the nation), a great public transportation system, and one of the best restaurant, bar, music, and art scenes in the world. But people sacrifice to live here, paying sky-high rents for tiny apartments, and enduring long, crowded subway commutes. And by the way, the city's top restaurants sometimes require customers to make reservations months ahead of time. The high cost of living is an unattractive attribute of New York, according to 72% of respondents. Health and safety was also listed as a negative attribute by 45% of respondents.

Detroit
Rank: 2
Workers who would not like to move there: 14%
Median household income: $28,097
Median home value: $80,140
Annual home price change: -9.3%

Detroit has a bit of an image problem. The population is dwindling, many of the city's residents are in poverty, the auto industry housed here is near collapse, and former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick went to jail last month for perjury in a sex scandal. The top two negative attributes of the city, according to the survey, were health and safety (55%) and image (49%).

Los Angeles
Rank: 3
Workers who would not like to move there: 12%
Median household income: $47,781
Median home value: $466,630
Annual home price change: -17.8%

Like New York, Los Angeles is a city that brings out strong feelings. It's an exciting place to live. But it's expensive, polluted, and traffic-clogged. The top negative attributes, according to the survey, were affordability (61%), health and safety (42%), and environment (36%).

New Orleans
Rank: 4
Workers who would not like to move there: 11%
Median household income: $38,614
Median home value: $135,128
Annual home price change: 13.7%

New Orleans has seen its population shrink, its murder rate increase, and tourism suffer since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The job market has gotten a bit of a boost from the heavy investment in rebuilding the city. But its image is suffering. The top negative attributes, according to the survey, were health and safety (55%), image (49%), and environment (45%).

Chicago
Rank: 5
Workers who would not like to move there: 8%
Median household income: $45,505
Median home value: $234,643
Annual home price change: -8.9%

Chicago has a lot of jobs, entertainment, and culture to offer, but for many people, winters in the Windy City are simply too cold. The city also has a tough image that dates back to the era of Al Capone. Among the city's worst attributes, according to the survey: environment (including climate), community (connectivity and sense of place), and affordability.

Washington, D.C.
Rank: 6
Workers who would not like to move there: 7%
Median household income: $54,317
Median home value: $354,069
Annual home price change: -14.0%

The nation's capital has a reputation for expensive home prices and high crime rates. Last year, murders increased 7% to 181 from 2006. The top negative attributes, according to the survey, were affordability (67%) and health and safety (60%).

Las Vegas
Rank: 7
Workers who would not like to move there: 7%
Median household income: $55,996
Median home value: $195,825
Annual home price change: -25.2%

Las Vegas' economy has taken a hit with falling home prices and struggling casinos. Clark County, which includes the city of Las Vegas, recently estimated that its population dropped for the first time in a decade. The top negative attributes, according to the survey, were environment, including climate, park space, natural resources (45%); image (44%); and affordability (44%).

Cleveland
Rank: 8
Workers who would not like to move there: 6%
Median household income: $28,512
Median home value: $120,259
Annual home price change: -1.4%

Cleveland's population has been falling at a dramatic rate. The city has lost 8% of its population—about 40,000 people, since 2000. Like many rust-belt cities, Cleveland is feeling the impact of a weak manufacturing industry. The top negative attributes, according to the survey, were environment—climate, park space, natural resources (58%); health and safety (45%); and image (42%).

Dallas
Rank: 9
Workers who would not like to move there: 5%
Median household income: $40,986
Median home value: $123,248
Annual home price change: -3.3%

Dallas' economy is doing better than many other parts of the country partly because of Texas' robust energy industry. But the city has a reputation for traffic, crime, and sprawl. The top negative attributes, according to the survey, were the people—their backgrounds, talents, and perspectives (49%); environment—climate, park space, natural resources (39%); and image (38%).

Miami
Workers who would not like to move there: 5%
Median household income: $29,075
Median home value: $238,708
Annual home price change: -23.9%

Miami, like much of South Florida, is facing a foreclosure crisis. Home prices are plunging and the economy has problems. The city also has a reputation for crime that hasn't completely dissipated since the Miami Vice television show spotlighted the city's drug and gun problems. The top negative attributes, according to the survey, were environment—climate, park space, natural resources (47%); affordability (41%); and image (40%).

So New York is the worst place to work as well as the best place to work?

bobrob2004 wrote:

So New York is the worst place to work as well as the best place to work?

Lol, that was confusing me too.

I can't believe some of the Median home values! $200,000, $300,000...

New York Median home value: $584,761 (crazy!!!!)
Detroit Median home value: $80,140 (sad...)

Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Detroit ranked second worst place to live
Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News

New York City has beaten out Detroit on another list, but Motor City residents likely won't mind.

The Big Apple has edged Motown as the worst place to live and work in the United States according to a summer poll of 2,500 employees and entrepreneurs across the nation conducted by Yahoo Real Estate.

Ironically, New York City also ranked as the best city in which to live and work, according to the poll.

Participants were asked to select the three best or worst attributes any of 40 large cities had to offer and if they would live and work in those cities. Yahoo ranked the cities based on how many first, second or third place votes they received as a percentage of total votes.

Detroit was the No. 2 worst city in which to live and work. Those polled cited the city's public relations image, dwindling population, collapsing auto industry, poverty in the city and former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's text message scandal.

The top two negative attributes of the city, according to the poll, were health and safety (55 percent) and image (49 percent).

New York topped both lists because the city has much to offer -- such as entertainment, Central Park, and great public transportation -- but people pay and sacrifice much to experience it, such as high rent, cramped subways and long suburban commutes.

For more information, visit www.realestate.yahoo.com/promo/americas-most-and-least-favorite-cities.html .

You can reach Santiago Esparza at (313) 222-2320 or sesparza@detnews.com .

It is interesting how NY can be best and worst at the same time. I would guess it depends on what your job is, and the neighborhood you are familiar with.

I also think the home value for Detroit is too high! $40,000 would be more like it.

Its ok. Cleveland is right up there with it. If it were my choice, I think I would live in St. Lous. Right in the middle of everything, seems rather calm and peaceful there. Or maybe just somewhere where I can relax all day on a hammock on the beach, where there's a cool summer breeze and alla that.

Yeah....

gdennis59 wrote:

Its ok. Cleveland is right up there with it. If it were my choice, I think I would live in St. Lous. Right in the middle of everything, seems rather calm and peaceful there. Or maybe just somewhere where I can relax all day on a hammock on the beach, where there's a cool summer breeze and alla that.

Yeah....

I always wanted to live in San Diego. Or Phoenix. Somewhere around there.

gdennis59 wrote:

Its ok. Cleveland is right up there with it. If it were my choice, I think I would live in St. Lous. Right in the middle of everything, seems rather calm and peaceful there. Or maybe just somewhere where I can relax all day on a hammock on the beach, where there's a cool summer breeze and alla that.

Yeah....

St. Louis is right on the edge of the New Madrid fault, scheduled for a major earthquake in the next 20 years.

bobrob2004 wrote:

I can't believe some of the Median home values! $200,000, $300,000...

$766,000 in San Francisco.

Some of those values can be a little misleading though. The one for LA is way too low. If you go to a real estate website and look at values by zip code instead of city you'll get way different results. The "good" parts of LA are over $1,000,000.

swiss_tiger wrote:

New York Median home value: $584,761 (crazy!!!!)
Detroit Median home value: $80,140 (sad...)

Surprised Detroit's is that high


They had rundown houses in Detroit that were being sold for a dollar last fall

laprimamirala wrote:

gdennis59 wrote:

Its ok. Cleveland is right up there with it. If it were my choice, I think I would live in St. Lous. Right in the middle of everything, seems rather calm and peaceful there. Or maybe just somewhere where I can relax all day on a hammock on the beach, where there's a cool summer breeze and alla that.

Yeah....

St. Louis is right on the edge of the New Madrid fault, scheduled for a major earthquake in the next 20 years.

and it gets very hot and humid in St Louis in the summer

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

It is interesting how NY can be best and worst at the same time. I would guess it depends on what your job is, and the neighborhood you are familiar with.

I also think the home value for Detroit is too high! $40,000 would be more like it.

NY is a huge city

10 million people live there



Some neighborhoods

Like Park Avenue! would be great places to live


But areas like Harlem and Brooklyn not so much

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

It is interesting how NY can be best and worst at the same time. I would guess it depends on what your job is, and the neighborhood you are familiar with.

Same thing with LA. I'm not familiar with NY, but I'll guess it's like LA.....

Out-of-staters (I'm guessing many of the people on this board) think LA would be a wonderful place to live. Native Californians think you would have to be a complete fool to want to live there...other than the Californians who have not been there. You'd be surprised how many haven't.

Somewhere in here you can find pictures of my old apartment. Half the stuff didn't work, it was about 200 square feet and it cost $895/mo (more than that now, I don't know how much). It didn't even have parking (that was $150 a month and a good 30 minute walk away).

catbox_9 wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

I can't believe some of the Median home values! $200,000, $300,000...

$766,000 in San Francisco.

Some of those values can be a little misleading though. The one for LA is way too low. If you go to a real estate website and look at values by zip code instead of city you'll get way different results. The "good" parts of LA are over $1,000,000.

That's unreal. The value of our house is barely over $100,000. You can spend a lot of money on a house in Michigan, but you'd have to go to Bloomfield Hills to do it.

bobrob2004 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

I can't believe some of the Median home values! $200,000, $300,000...

$766,000 in San Francisco.

Some of those values can be a little misleading though. The one for LA is way too low. If you go to a real estate website and look at values by zip code instead of city you'll get way different results. The "good" parts of LA are over $1,000,000.

That's unreal. The value of our house is barely over $100,000. You can spend a lot of money on a house in Michigan, but you'd have to go to Bloomfield Hills to do it.

It's all relative though. Jobs pay more where the cost of living is higher....although oftentimes the difference doesn't make up for the difference in the cost of living.

Even where I live it costs at least $200,000 to get a condo. The only thing you can get for under $100,000 is a mobile home and even that's pushing it - a new modular home will cost more than that.

-------------

For a few months I wanted to move to Bloomfield Hills :haha: I think I'll stay in California - less snow.

I shouldn't have ever gone to college....

Back when I worked in high school I managed to save $15,000 (most of that is gone now ). I should have worked another year or two and moved to some other state. I could have taken night classes at a junior college and ended up with some sort of non-fast food job.

When you're working a minimum wage job the pay in Michigan vs. California is about the same. Minimum wage here is $8.00/hr. and I think the federal minimum wage is pretty close to that.

bobrob2004 wrote:

gdennis59 wrote:

Its ok. Cleveland is right up there with it. If it were my choice, I think I would live in St. Lous. Right in the middle of everything, seems rather calm and peaceful there. Or maybe just somewhere where I can relax all day on a hammock on the beach, where there's a cool summer breeze and alla that.

Yeah....

I always wanted to live in San Diego. Or Phoenix. Somewhere around there.

I lived in Phoenix, on W Glendale Ave and N 23rd Ave, across from Washington High School, and loved it there! It is very hot in the summer, but low humidity. The pay is good if you have a college degree. I only had 2 years of college when I lived there and had to compete with illegal aliens for jobs. It is what made me go back to FL (where I could keep my resident status) and finish my college education. If I had stayed in AZ 1 year, I could have gotten very low college tuition at AZ State, but without the 1 yr residency, the cost of tuition was out of this world!

I would not hesitate going back there, but the folks that live in the home behind mine during the summer, here in OH, still live in the Phoenix metro area during the winter. They tell me Phoenix is not as safe now as it was in the 1990's. But it is not as safe here either! When my grandparents lived in this house, when I was growing up, they never even had to lock the house or car doors. We do now! But it is very low in cost of living here, so I have stayed. If anything happens to my mom, I probably would think about moving back to Phoenix, or the Toledo area (to be close to the MudHens and Detroit!)

We're seriously looking at Toledo or Sylvania to retire to. Close to an airport, colleges, and the Mud Hens!

laprimamirala wrote:

We're seriously looking at Toledo or Sylvania to retire to. Close to an airport, colleges, and the Mud Hens!

Maybe we can be neighbors!

Any takers on the Denver area?

catbox_9 wrote:

Any takers on the Denver area?

Not me

Though I would like to get out of Trashy Park

gs78 wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

Any takers on the Denver area?

Not me

Denver is nice. It was on the most desirable cities list, too (7th).

If I didn't mind snow I'd consider Denver/Colorado. It's super cheap there (median home under $207,000) and they have good skiing.

LOTS of snow there..

laprimamirala wrote:

LOTS of snow there..

But I hate the Avs; Broncos and Nuggets

Wow, what happened...


Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Detroit knocked out of top spot as 'Most Miserable City'
The Detroit News

DETROIT -- A mayoral scandal, auto industry woes, rising unemployment and a local NFL team's record losing season in 2008 was not enough for Detroit to retain its title as America's Most Miserable City, according to Forbes.com.

In the site's second annual list of America's 10 Most Miserable Cities, released last week, Detroit ranked No. 7 -- slipping from the top spot claimed last year.

"The Motor City benefited from our revised criteria this year (we added sales tax and sports teams in addition to corruption)," according to the site. "Its 6% sales tax is one of the lowest in the country. The success of Detroit's winter sports teams more than offset the ineptitude of the Lions. The Red Wings and Pistons won two-thirds of their games, including a Stanley Cup title for the Wings."

No. 1 on the list was Stockton, Calif. Rounding out the top five were Memphis, Chicago, Cleveland and Modesto, Calif. Flint also outranked Detroit.

Forbes.com compiled the rankings by examining the nation's 150 largest metropolitan areas -- those with populations of 378,000 or more. Nine factors were cited: commute times, corruption, pro sports teams, Superfund sites, taxes, unemployment, violent crime and weather.

Does Stockton really count though? I mean who knows where Stockton is? I'm Californian and I still have trouble keeping Stockton and Modesto straight.

Believe me, they are both bad.
I worked in Modesto for a year. Both have lots of gangs, bad traffic, and the downtowns were starting to close up, even in 2002.
Stockton was just a place to quickly drive through on 99 to get to Sacramento.