Yup, good 'ol Stockton, CA, the place I have called home for the better part of nearly 14 years, made the top of the list again. Nearly 3 years running! (Last year Cleveland staged a coup and one-upped us.) In fact, the three counties I have lived in are in the Top 10 of the most economically stressed counties in the nation. Sutter County, Yuba County and San Joaquin County take the #'s 6, 7, and 10 spots, respectively. Congratulations on such an impressive accomplishment Northern California!
Why is Stockton the most miserable? Well, one reason is the great housing market crash that no one (not even my real estate savvy husband) saw coming. In Stockton the market peaked in 2005 with home values averaging in the $400,000 range. Prices plummeted, thousands foreclosed on their mortgages, etc. etc. Today the average home price is $142,000. I'll give you a hint what year we decided to enter the housing market...and that my friends is why I get up and go to work everyday!
I will say, the shining spot in the "miserableness" of Stockton, which I contend is NOT as bad as Forbes suggests, (I can make this claim because, though I have never been mugged or had my car stolen, I WAS a victim of a walk by shooting by BB Gun and Justin was quite possibly the victim of a car jacking that ended unsuccessfully for the perp at a mini-mart in Madera...but those are stories for another day), is the place that takes me away from the joy of my life for 8-9 hours a day and the occasional evening or weekend...The University of the Pacific.
Voted one of the top 5 MOST BEAUTIFUL college campuses in the United States in 2010 by the Penn Group.
Suck on that Forbes!
2 comments:
Stockton's reputation preceded it upon Chris' first visit to visit my family...and his response? "It's not bad at all!" Of course, his experience is limited to the tolerable NORTH Stockton, with UOP being the farthest South I've taken him :)
Love it! UOP or "Pacific" (lol) is definitely one of the best things about Stockton. I do and always will LOVE Stockton. I am probably one of the biggest fans of this city. It has a lot to offer and I love it here. And...it has some of the best people around, i.e. Becky Perry :)
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