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Quiz: Welcome to Forbes Ranked Fourth from Most Miserable City

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Wanna Tour Misery? Forbes Magazine Rated Misery? We Need Your Tourist Dollars, BAD!

Residents here will likely know what city and be able to ace the quiz instantly. Welcome! Otherwise here are some clues as to which city to start you out. This city got its notoriety on the 2011 Forbes Most Miserable rankings along with the county seats of adjoining counties both to its north and to its south. Together we've been rated the first, third, and fourth most miserable in 2011. That's three strikes in a hard-hit region, and we'll live!

They say the great recession's over, so that means you're probably back to sacking big bucks in your 401(k) and applying to the yacht-a-month club. But if you ever get nostalgic about the bad ole days of 2008-2010, there are a few cities where you can travel back and enjoy. But if you spend too much money on tourist perks, you might just destroy that charm and gentrify them out of misery.

Hope you're definitely caught in an ethical bind. Now this lens is about a place that's miserable, but not so miserable as to be singled out as the absolute most miserable. In fact comes in about 4th place. Enjoy your visit!


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Photo courtesy of Tom Hilton

Welcome to Forbes Ranked Fourth from Most Miserable City

Get your score; challenge someone else to beat you. If you don't already know where you are, guess, and then read the answers.

These questions are thoughtful and insightful (we think). The answers might just not reach that level of sophistication. If you don't like them, you may grouse in our guest book.

So do you know this place? Live there? Visited it?

Have a bone to pick with the quiz?

How do you rate this city? What condolences can you offer that it didn't beat out Stockton for #1 most miserable? Still puzzled about which city? Check the lenses featured in the right hand column.

  • Tolovaj Aug 11, 2011 @ 2:33 am | delete
    Modesto?
  • OhMe Jul 7, 2011 @ 9:20 am | delete
    Well, I made a Zero! Oh Me!
  • Tipi May 31, 2011 @ 9:56 pm | delete
    Oops, got 50% without a clue!
  • Tipi May 31, 2011 @ 9:55 pm | delete
    Aha, no wonder Modesto kept coming to mind, I just visited Modesto Rider. You sure messed with my head on that quiz, its all good!
  • ben186422 May 30, 2011 @ 12:23 am | delete
    Never visited. Never heard of until now.
  • tracy May 28, 2011 @ 12:00 am | delete
    MID is an irrigation district not a municipality.
  • Don_McCyclist May 28, 2011 @ 2:52 am | delete
    Indeed! Thank you, Tracy. The quiz stands corrected. Next I get to hear from someone who lives in town across the Tuolumne served by TID!
  • paperfacets Feb 12, 2011 @ 12:42 pm | delete
    I think I know what city it is, because I live in CA. Yes, but I think you better add it in the intro. The name would be a good keyword for the search engines.
  • OneFootPutt Feb 11, 2011 @ 11:34 am | delete
    I don't have a clue as to what city this is. I guess I'll have to go check the Forbes list.
  • Don_McCyclist Feb 11, 2011 @ 3:28 pm | delete
    Thanks, OneFootPutt! I've updated the quiz with a question of what city it is. I wouldn't have thought to include that without your feedback!
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Where will this town's unhappy citizens gather?

As if it had its own Tahrir Square

Vote for your favorite place to gather and say "Enough! We can turn this place around!"

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What can we change?

Whether or not Forbes spotlights this town again next year, we might be better off if we're willing to identify some things we can change to make it better.

Here are our bright ideas:

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The things that most need changing here are ...

Tolovaj says:

Power to the people!

Tipi says:

Better PR!

tamara says:

Clear the rivers so we could see to the bottom. Also I would like to see more done in regards to the homeless animals.

The best assets we have to improve our quality of life here are ...

tamara says:

The trees are really an asset to modesto. The people, the beautiful people in Modesto who have shared their rich colorful life history. Where they came from a lot of people where I came from didn't take time to do that but here yeah a lot of the people in Modesto do.

Modesto Localvore says:

Check out this quote from the Modesto Farmers Market Facebook Page:

"The Modesto Certified Farmers' Market will be starting early this year!! Our opening day will be April 2 7AM-1PM."

I bet the Forbes critics haven't had the pleasure of shopping that market. I bet if they had, they'd think still harder of listing this place. Despite all the crud they dug up, we DO have some wonderful people and FABULOUS fresh local honest-to-tummy food.

The people that bring it on--the feasts, I mean--can show us the way!

 

Tracing the Headlines

Who Said?

Forbes Online Story
Back to the source: Forbes Most Miserable index.
Modesto Bee's Story
How local press reported it.
Reuters Coverage
NEW YORK - If the saying as goes California, so goes the nation still rings true, then Americans are facing a depressing future, according to a list of the country's most miserable cities.

A Better Day's on the Way for Year 2011 Forbes Most Miserable City

Know Any Hopeful Links Relating to This City?

Does This Lion Guarding An Historic Bridge Look Like Fourth Most Miserable?

If we take actions to make a better community, we can watch the Forbes rankers walk away looking for more real misery to rank ... elsewhere. Check out these local initiatives to make things better and help rank them or add links to others working on sending the Forbes crew packing.

Photo courtesy of jason shultz

1

Vote Up
Vote Down

San Joaquin Valley Foreclosure Recovery Workshops

A gateway for banks and consumer groups to informa more...1 point

2

Vote Up
Vote Down

lovemodesto.com

People with religious convictions or none gatherin more...1 point

3

Vote Up
Vote Down

http://www.elconcilio.org/stanislaus/default.htm

El Concilio is pleased to serve the Stanislaus are more...1 point

4

Vote Up
Vote Down

- Mydesto

Despite hard times, some people in this city love more...1 point

Move over, Bee! Look Who's Thinking outside the Hive for the Scoop Now

Public supported video reporting brings this city into the 21st century. It's a new generation of free press: high-tech, low-budget--could lead to exciting, muckraking, underdog journalism but not without plenty of citizen nurturing.

How do you think this city's ranking will change in the 2012 Forbes Most Miserable?

Don_McCyclist predicts:

It will be ranked further from the dreaded #1.

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VoodooRULEs predicts:

I hope your lens manages to spark a turnaround that gets it closer to forth from the most desirable! All I can say is Bravo to you for getting something positive started!

Tipi predicts:

I hope it doesn't make the list at all and Modesto makes a whole lot of positive changes and incites community pride....may as well go for the gusto!

 
 
 

A Resident of Forbes #1 (And a Near Neighbor City to #4) Won't Take Forbes' Reckoning Sitting Down

Could #4 One Up Gregory Basso's Polished Defense of Stockton?

This Youtube-posted challenge to the Forbes #1 Most Miserable designation won its creator recognition in the Stockton Appeal Democrat.
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Defending Forbes Most Miserable "Honoree" Cities

What's More Important?

Stockton's defender in the video above, Gregory Basso, focuses on what's attractive about Stockton. Could he be ignoring real opportunities for making quality of life in Stockton better that the Forbes ranking suggests? If so, how could that affect his credibility?

What's more helpful in responding when Forbes says you live in a miserable city?

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Tell Forbes they have it wrong, minimizing statistics they cite.

List strategies for changing what Forbes found to be contributing to misery.

Tipi says:

Denial is denial is denial....a better way is to agree with your accuser and make positive changes.

 

Stockton Students Take on Forbes

So far we haven't seen this kind of talk back from Modesto. Maybe that's the difference between #1 and #4. If we've missed linking to important talk back from Modesto citizens, please send Don McCyclist links!
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From the Depths of Misery

The city's news voice's opinions

Does it take a tour de force in public relations to keep finding great things to highlight here or was Forbes' listing just a smokescreen to keep riff raff away from a best kept secret California inland jewel?
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Digging For Context

Publications that might cast some light on this city

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So How Does Being Forbes Fourth Most Miserable Affect Pets?

Local news source reviews the state of pets.

If you're living in fourth from the most miserable will you spend on rent or spend on Fido or Fifi? Ought Forbes to take stories like these into consideration for future Most Miserable Cities rankings?
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by

Don_McCyclist

I'm not your everyday, regular guy. Here's evidence: in 1997, I divorced my car, seeking a shortcut to reducing my carbon footprint and taking back po... more »

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