Most Stressful American Cities

According to Yahoo and Forbes, these are the top ten stressful cities to live in. What's causing all the stress in these large American cities? Outside of the recent market crash, political mess, and Americans being the most self absorbed, materialistic people in all the land? Let's see, things like pollution, limited living spaces, pressures to keep up, things like finding a seat in a restaurant, getting a seat on the subway or finding a cab are to blame. Also there are aspects of large city living that you have to account for such as cost of living, high priced stores and merchandise, and the large populations of people. People can give you stress and anxiety, surprise. So what cities made it? Here they are, stop stressing...

1. Chicago, Illinois
2. New York, New York
3. Detroit, Michigan
4. Los Angeles, California
5. San Fransisco, California
6. San Diego, California
7. Cleveland, Ohio
8. Salt Lake City, Utah
9. Providence, Rhode Island
10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Chicago, which is the most stressful city in America to live in, has an unemployment rate of 7.3%. That coupled with high cost of living and a stagnant commute, I say calm down Chicago. Use the wind to lift your sails and enjoy the rough seas. Take a deep breath! Just not too deep, Chicago boasts another position on a top list; eighth city with the most polluted air.

New York is the city that never sleeps. There might not be grass, but there are millions of fast-paced people who love to buy over priced items. A city so full of ambition, you can smell it in the air. The big apple is filled to the core. But what's so stressful about hailing a taxi here? What could be stressful about paying a million dollars to live in a closet? Who cares about a few rats? What could possibly be stressful about cramming 786 housing units into one square mile? I just don't get it.

Detroit. It's a sentence in itself. All I can say is, "I'm sorry." I want to name Yahoo for these statistics because they're almost unbelievable. I couldn't make these up if I tried really hard. I also couldn't live in Detroit if I tried harder. In Detroit, unemployment is right around 10% and the median home value is $26,300. That's right! The home values may actually be helping the stress issue, but what you're saving on your mortgage, is probably going to the casinos. Oh, well. At least the auto industry is doing well.

Los Angeles is the city of angels. 7.5% of these angels are unemployed. They're inhaling smog, spending way too much on gas and most live in homes that are far more expensive than in the rest of the country. They actually rank number two in the nation for income/housing ratios. At least your waiters are all actors. That must be fun...

San Fransisco leads the nation in high gas prices. Congratulations! While San Fransisco is beautiful, it's hard to see most of it due to the large amount of housing crammed into every acre. In fact, there are almost 400 housing units in each Sq. mile. Love thy neighbor! At least there's a large bridge to... Joking leads to stress reduction and laughter causes inner peace and external beauty. Look on the bright side, we all love your rice.

Cleveland, Cleveland, Cleveland! I had to say it three times because see, there are three teams here that contribute to the stress of this town. While we have the best fans in the nation, I just don't know how much more of a beating we can take. I do love Cleveland though. Did you know that 63.6% of the homes in the Cleveland area are vacant? We rank third for best home prices, so that's good. Pick a home, any home. Cost of living isn't so bad, but 7% of Cleveland residents are unemployed and the murder rate is high. It's actually quite surprising. As a matter of fact, there's a murder in Cleveland every tw...