America's Most Stressful Cities
Maurna Desmond, 09.15.08, 6:00 PM ET
Record weekend rainfall isn't the only thing worrying Windy City residents.
Chicago's rising unemployment rate, expensive gas, high population density and relatively poor air quality create a perfect storm of stress, according to measures we used to calculate the country's anxiety hot spots.
New Yorkers can relate. Locals in the country's most densely packed metro have to fiercely compete for subway seats, cabs, apartments, elite preschools, dinner reservations and bartenders' attention. This constant grind compounds the area's other anxiety factors including costly housing (the country's third least affordable) and allergy-inducing pollution. Throw in Wall Street's woes, and you've got a Molotov cocktail of concern.
In Depth: America's Most Stressful Cities
At No. 6, San Diego was the most unexpected city on our list. How could a laid-back beach town be stressful? Well, it's got the fifth least affordable housing of the 40 major metro areas surveyed, a 6.4% unemployment rate and car-happy residents paying $3.81 for a gallon of gas. But, they don’t let those numbers get them down. Pleasant weather and beautiful beaches contribute to a serotonin-soaked attitude that appears to take the edge off of tough times.
Now I understand why Herr Doctor moved. It was for his health. Explains Smiff's move too.
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1 comment:
They must have polled on a day it was cloudy, like yesterday.
Also, if you don't have a car you don't worry about gas prices.
I've had enough worry for the last six months because of a porfessional conference i'm hosting in October. Once dat's over wiff, we'll drop out of the top 10.
Chicago's top spot probably comes from Cubs' fans worrying how they will blow it this year.
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