According to Walletpop’s list of the top ten worst places to live in, California is the state to avoid. Two of the state’s cities made the list thanks to record-high unemployment statistics, terrible air quality, the “worst traffic in the country” and a general high score on the U.S. Misery Index[1]. In El Centro, California, (number 1 on the list), people are experiencing the stress of a 27.5 percent unemployment rate, thanks to a “floating labor force” crossing the border from Mexico on a regular basis, according to Jim Gerber, economics professor and director of the International Business Program at San Diego State University. Things are so bad in El Centro that the city cemetery is in foreclosure. Los Angeles also made the list, thanks to the worst ozone pollution in the country[2] and its terrible traffic.
Love it or hate it, however, California is widely acknowledged to be the nation’s bellwether when it comes to real estate performance. Would you invest in a state with cities with these statistics?
[1] http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/08/05/10-worst-places-to-live/
[2] http://www.stateoftheair.org/2010/city-rankings/most-polluted-cities.html
