Are you miserable, Palm Beach County? According to this month's Forbes.com list, you should be.
Even though it's not a single city -- more like 223 census-designated districts -- that didn't stop Forbes.com from giving Palm Beach County the No. 8 spot on its "America's 20 Most Miserable Cities," list.
"The West Palm-Boca Raton area might sound glamorous with its beaches and
million dollar ocean-front homes. The reality is much different," claims Forbes.
It's a change in sentiment from just two years ago, when Forbes.com named Palm Beach County one of the country's Top Ten places to grow old and, "offer retirees comfort and opportunity, but also financial peace of mind."
What gives? Forbes.com claimed it researched ten factors -- including home prices, commute times, unemployment, crime, weather and taxes -- to determine which cities were the saddest nationwide. When it comes to Palm Beach County, the story cites depreciating real estate, mounting foreclosures, and growing unemployment as the top three reasons -- making it even more dismal than Detroit (No.15) or Flint, Michigan (No. 11).
So what if most Palm Beach County residents are unemployed and can't pay their mortgages? With miles of beautiful beaches, sunny skies, and mild temperatures almost year-round, that pretty much guarantees it a far cheerier place.
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