Let me get this straight:
L.A. = traffic james, fires, earth quakes, floods and people who have one job while waiting to become an actor / actress, writer, director etc.

New York = noise levels that are causing hearing damage to most residents, triple parked trucks making deliveries so streets are one lane, garbage bags piled up on the sidewalks until the Sanitation Dept decides to pick them up,invariably during rush hour, rents, restaurants, public transportation costs that are through the roof

Chicago = a beautiful, clean city, convenient shopping, good public transportation, alleys so the garbage doesn't pile up and trucks can make deliveries while off the streets, great museums and theater, and really friendly people.

I've lived in all 3 cities...no way is Chicago the most stressful....but who cares what the poll says...if you are lucky enough to live in Chicago you already know it!

And pay is fine.

I can't believe Chicago is #1...who conducted this study anyway? They need to spend some time out here in Chicago and REALLY see how it is...once they taste the Chicago hot dog, italian beef and stuffed pizza, they'll feel stressed that they didn't know how wonderful it was to live here!

But seriously, most cities can have lots of stress, especially if a person doesn't like their job and has a long commute, but there are many other modes of transportation in Chicago. The transit system (CTA) can get you mostly anywhere in the city.
I agree with the person who said that New York is usually #1...standard of living is pretty high there...

For those who don't like the busy city life, the suburbs of Chicago are just minutes away and not as "busy" as downtown and the (full-of-fun but parking sux) neighborhoods like Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park, etc.

I love Chicago because there is always something to do out here and to get to one cool place to the next is usually not too far away.

Go Cubs! Go Bears! Go Sox!

Forbes can suck it.

GO CUBS!

I mean, we're completely (or almost so) spared of having to drive. L.A. has the 405. 'Nuff said there, I think.

Well, amazingly enough, my home town of Pittsburgh, and my current residence, Columbia SC, are not listed. And as an extra bonus, neither are of them mentioned in the comments. I must be soooo chillin about now. I think I'll have another toddy and chill out some more. Portillos? What's that? Is it a who or a what? I guess since I don't know I'm soo not missing it. Time for that toddy.

@caveman1428: A sport pepper is a tiny hot pepper:

[www.tomatogrowers.com]

They're pickled and jarred and we LOVE them in our hot dogs in Chicago. :)

Granted, the Portillos in Souther California is good, but it just not the same as eating two or three dogs back home in Chicago.

NO WAY Chicago is more stressful than Detroit! I've lived in both cities and Chicago is a dreamy garden of Eden compared to the faltering Michigan state economy, misguided reliance on the auto industry, just-been-booted outta office Mayor "Felon" Kilpatrick, lack of public transportation downtown (unless you count the People Mover, ha!), sorry excuse for a football team Detroit Lions and one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country.

Beat that Chicago! But yeah, I'm sure the Windy City is way more stressful. Ha!

@reefer: I know, I'm totally hungry for a Chicago dog now. I'm over in NW Indiana but we have a Portillo's in Merrillville now which is about 20 minutes away.

I never find Chicago that stressful when I'm in it. Yeah, traffic sucks but traffic in Lake County, Indiana is more stressful than Chicago traffic.

"Wit" would be the proper terminology if ordering a cheesesteak at Pat's in south Philly.

"Wit" would be the proper usage if you were ordering a cheesesteak at Pat's in south Philly.

@AngrySicilian: mmmmm Portillo's especially since they've moved in to NWI loves me some Chicago dogs

This story is just another reason why journalists should leave the social science modeling and data gathering to professionals. We're professionals, kids--don't try this at home, or in Forbes.

less stress, more sexy food xD

The big difference here in chicago - is you dont have to drive.

On my way home from work I take a nap

You'll travel three times the distance in Detroit as you would in Chitown within the same time frame. That right there is enough to make me swill cheap whiskey if I had to commute to work in Chicago.

Chicago has many problems - but the reasoning for being on this list is retarded.

7.3 % unemployment rate ?? Maybe but it is terribly skewed , there are several areas in chicago where the unemployement rate is more like 35% which skews the whole city. This goes for just about every other statistic they can come up with.

Crime is the same way, pockets of south and west side are so bad that , from the news you would think that people are being gunned down everywhere. When in reality most of it is happening in a few gang infested areas.

If you want some good statistics on chicago Read the book Freakonomics

These forbes lists are utter crap

I'm going to be a Bay Area snob and chime in that it's amusing they think SF is more stressful than, oh, Riverside.

People would have to be born here to really know how it feels...and 90 percent of the douchebags living here aren't. I'm not gonna go out on a limb and be a target.

"Disneyland for degenerates" is all I have to say.

Thanks a lot America.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
Fresno has 11%
Salt Lake City has 3.5%

AIR QUALITY
Fresno - 5th worst air quality(also top 5 for ozone)
Salt Lake City - Not on the list

GAS PRICES
Fresno - $3.60
Salt Lake City - $3.60

POPULATION DENSITY
Frenso 111 people per Sq. Mile
Salt Lake City 984 People per Sq. Mile

Population density shouldn't count because Fresno is surrounded by commercial agriculture which skews the numbers. We're actually the 6th largest City in CA based on population. Besides Mormons don't get stressed by cramming a huge family into a medium house, they enjoy it.

But with a city run by back door deals and slimy politicians...

Stress comes from giving a shit about where you live. Don't give a shit? No stress.

I imagine the stress in Salt Lake City is religious guilt and San Diego is stressed from trying to look so damn good. I'm from Philly, where the stress is just clogged arteries.

But, shit, there's a reason I left it to move to an island off of Asia ;)

For the record, not everyone drives in Chicago! It's a great city to be without a car-the CTA is decrepit but wide-ranging, and I could smoke cars like crazy on my $50 mountain bike. Once travelling from edgewater to pilsen straight down damen at breakneck speed I passed 60 more cars than passed me ;)

Someday, I will return. But you know what makes a city 100 x more stressful? Lack of access to real nature! Lack of access to mountains! Lack of access to clean rivers, to clean air, to the real world!

@AngrySicilian:
ME! ME!

I love Chicago style dogs. :D

Wow, having lived in LA, SF, DC and now Chicago, I'm shocked Chicago is no. 1 on this list. Never have I lived in a major city where people are so friendly, lots of green space, good public transportation, low rents and housing in decent neighborhoods, great restaurants, fun festivals, great sports teams (Go Cubs), I could go on and on...

I grew up bicoastal in SF and DC. Present day DC is a nightmare from horrific commutes, taxation without representation, rents rivalling NYC and SF, exorbitant housing prices, idiot cabbies (thank God for the newly instituted meter system), too many transplants who think they own the place, and if your party's not in office multiply the stress and frustration level times 10.

Not too much bad to say about SF that people don't already know, except why are there so few cabs? You can rent a limo easier than hailing a cab in SF, makes no sense.

I guess I'm one of the few people that enjoyed living in LA, but I lived in the city proper, and went to school there. God, I miss taking the Santa Monica busline to the beach for $.75, unreal. Watching the sunset in Venice, the dive bars, the crazy Jimi Hendrix wannabe on the boardwalk...Yeah, you need to find your niche, but once you do, LA is a very chill place.

But Rhode Island's so tiny...

mmmmm, portillo's.

Chicago, this title is well deserved.

I agree with Forbes on many of their city-ranking lists, but not this one. The problems with D.C. are more than just statistical. You have to visit to understand how ridiculously stressful everything here can be. I love living in the D.C area, but it's definitely the most stressful American city I have ever been to.

I've got to ditto the guys saying DC should be on the list or crowding its margins. It's an awesome place to grow up in. When it came time to marry and raise kids, though, I made sure to be somewhere else.

Try living in the Southeast, guys. Folks say "please" and "thanks," older women call you honey, the fried chicken brings tears to your eyes and so does the five-alarm chili. Mild winters, slow, relaxed summers and all the country music your head can handle.

Well, that last one might not be much of a draw. Thank God for CDs of something else.

Forbes does some interesting lists that are sometimes well thought out. This was not one of those lists.

Not that I don't love it for what it is (60 miles away, source of political amusement, delicious cheap food, great architecture, hockey and colorful characters), but I can't really imagine a city in worse shape than D-town.

The factors on this list are not all equal in each city. Everyone in LA drives to work, most in SF don't, thus gas is not a big issue.

Cleveland??? High population? They have some of the highest foreclosure rates in the country, now that should be counted as stressful.

Stupid poll to fill a few pages of the magazine and get a 15 spot on the nightly news.

Now, the only thing stressing me out is a coworker gave me a Portillo's gift card a few months back - for my birthday - and i can't seem to find the damn thing (arrgggh!)

Jim

@Julia789: The TV commercials do not lie because the LDS Bishop endorses them and he is all-knowing.

@BillsBurg: Much has changed in 20 years, I was being a little sarcastic when I listed all of those things. You can't get in to a dept store without some rich soccer mom toting 5 kids around in her Escalade that takes up 4 parking spots. The booze is watered down, the liquor store closes at ten, that's right liquor store, you can't even buy it at the grocery store. The mormons sorta keep the crime rates down and we honestly don't have a ghetto, just rednecks. Employment is up and so is home ownership so I'm thinking the only reason we made the list is pollution, drug use, and the high rate of depression/suicide. Go figure.

probbydense disproves that there is an inverse relationship between consuming alcohol and lowering stress levels. i love how recently we're in the top 10 of all these nationwide city surveys.

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Add commute time to the list, and factor in the number of decent sports teams, then talk about stress.

; )

Come ON. That's crazy. LA has it beat by the sheer amount of time wasted driving.

Although I must admit that the Cubs playoff games are gonna stress me out even from 650 miles away. You know they're gonna do something to mess it up...oh please no!

I need to go drown out my disappointment with some Natty Boh.

I was however surprised to see that Chicago has such a high unemployment rate. I guess I'm sheltered.

Still, I don't feel that much stress.

According to their TV commercials, belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints means you will have wonderful, happy families and communities, and a loving God that takes all your worries away. What could be so stressful? Did the TV commercials lie? I've never heard of a TV commercial lying before...

Chicago is awesome! I can't wait to go back and live there! And I live in small town nowhere and I just paid $4.05 for gas.

I never stressed much for the 8 years I was in Chicago. Its a fun town. Tons of taxis. There's always affordable housing to buy or rent. Its not very snobby (usually). Plenty of work if you are in the financial industry.

Good times.

@MariaOzawa: No Ketchup, only mustard. Some Chicago hotdog places don't even have ketchup out, you have to ask them for it. And they're not thrilled to give it to you.

"There's always next year"

xD

seriously though, it would be so much more stressful for people after they leave here because the food is so plentiful that I can smell a stuffed pizza even as I type this.

I shoulda never quit smoking

@ceriphim: i think you are on to something. most of the people that suck are transplants from ohio and minnesota, though.

@picardia: the answer is probably the same list. If you have the option and decide to live in a city, then can't handle it, then you're doing it wrong.

Who wants to send a Chicago ex-pat some Portillo's?

FUCK YOU NEW JERSEY! YOUR WHITE CASTLES IS A TEMPTATION, BUT IT IS NOT PORTILLOS!

On a different note, one of my best girlfriends recently moved to NYC
straight out of college from the University of Michigan. When I checked
in with her, she (very nonchalantly) said she is seeing a shrink now. I
asked her what was wrong and she informed me that everyone in NYC sees a
shrink because "living there is very stressful." Which begs the
question, why would anyone do it?

Yeah really. I've lived in Chicago, and its way less stressful than post-Katrina New Orleans (aka America's 3rd World). Even before the storm, there was really no point in living in New Orleans if you had anything higher than a high school diploma. Economy sucks, education sucks, transit sucks, infrastructure sucks, politicians suck, etc. Nothing gets done. A crater on a major street just gets dirt dumped into it. No jobs outside of hospitality. Horrible weather.

At least the food is good.

Sure Chitown has nearly 4/gallon gas, but when I lived there I just took the train/bus everywhere. And FWIW, I can find a decent place in Chicago for less than I can find a decent place in NOLA AND I won't have to worry about getting mugged and murdered or have the place looted and ransacked. Plus no hurricanes. I'll take a snowstorm over hauling ass and depleting my "oh shit" fund any day.

In other words, I should move back to LA! I liked it there. Ah, if only.

Agreed LA is a terrible place to live. Some love it, but once I'm done with school, I'm out of here.

@B: Here's what we have to be stressed out about:
1.) Some of the worst public transportation ever.
2.) The city has been so mismanaged, that it is now close to broke. Because of that, city services like filling potholes are few and far between.
3.) The cost of housing makes the dream of owning a home, just that, a dream.

The positive is, if you become homeless there is usually only a week out of the year you need to go into a temporary shelter to avoid freezing to death. Yea sunny weather!

Now, about the CTA itself causing stress with spontaneous reroutings, delayed service and a large percentage of employees who just don't give a damn, that's another matter entirely.

I like Chicago, dammit, warts and all.

@varro: Now they just need Al's I-talian Beef, Mario's I-talian ice, and a good stuffed pizza, and they'd be set.

@Sinflux: Good luck, some people have tried to get out of here for years.

@kerry: Yep and it shows, I'd love to take the train, but the schedule sucks and the busses are overrun with illegals.

I strongly dislike living in NYC. It's a fun place to visit, but living here (3.5 years now) has begun to wear on me and my mental health. It's sort of like if almost every day of your life is an overcrowded party. It's fun for awhile, but sometimes you just want to kick back and watch a little TV and not be around so many damn people all the time. And forget about privacy - you can't value your privacy and stay sane here.

Yes, moving here less than a year after spending several months in rural Wyoming may have been a bit too big of a shock to the system...(by the way, I'd go back to rural Wyoming in a second, tweekers and oilmen be damned.)

By LA, you're hopefully including Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and possibly Ventura counties. ;)

@Rabbi Dave:

They also put too much stupid crap on their hot dogs.

Hey, stressful and good aren't mutually exclusive. I drive through lots of shitty areas on a regular basis where there isn't a lot of stress.

Sometimes, the good stuff comes with a lot of stress!

Got no job, no house, no spouse, no money?

Well, then you got no worries about promotions/raises, no mortgage payment, no nagging, no concern over the value of your 401(k), and no stress!

A majority of the rich people I know with fabulous houses, cars, boats, etc... are always stressed, but they have the best "stuff."

That would be a neat trick as Chicago is the city with the 2nd most public transportation riders. The "survey" fails right there.

I would have much preferred the "least stressful cities" list, so I could check job offerings there.

I live in SLC and I'm not stressed, what is there to be stressed about?? The lowest average age group, largest families per capita, one of the highest gas prices in the country, large population of illegals, oppression of liquor laws, lake effect.....yeah I'm not stressed.

I'm so happy I moved here from San Jose. All that sunshine and awesome weed was a real bummer.

I was going to be pissed if Cleveland didn't make the list. We make EVERY bad list. We have the franchise on bad lists.

7th? Eh... we'll try harder next year.

I'm 4th generation born and raised in California. Three California cities made the list! That I can buy. I've got some other cities in California that ought to get "honorable mention." San Diego seems odd to me though.

So if you rent and want to buy a house and are unemployed, these are the most stressful cities to live in.

On the other hand, if you already own your own place and are happily employed, there is near zero stress here in beautiful sunny San Diego except the occasional traffic snarl.

This is, as most people know, a meaningless poll. However, they are tons of ommitted variables that they should have considered like, "Average Work Week", "Ratio of Single Parent/Multi-Parent Households", "Divorce Rates", Crime, and a Restructured Munical GDP.

Anyhow, I don't really buy this list.

Florida's not on the list? :(
Do they not understand how much it sucks to be tripping over old/dieing people 24/7?

Chicago is #1 for stress…probably because the #1 worse airport is O'hare.

That is NOT a hot dog -- it's a goddammed salad.

Salt Lake City??

I kid, though. Keep on rocking, Detroit.

The 2006 census says 744,041. Did they mean the entire bay area?

BUT add those in and by being drunk, eating glutinous food and watching sports I'm totally not stressing.

As a non-native Chicagoan I find it a very non-stressful city as big cities go. People are friendly which I think is a big attraction to folks like me when they relocate.

And besides the Junk food there is a booming restaurant scene here. I dare any city to match it right now.

Still, that would make Morocco much more stressful than the US, which is opposite my impression from living there. Maybe they should factor in the availability of marijuana.

I would have guessed NYC would be first, but second also makes sense.

Three California cities are also on the list, although I have no idea what, if anything, that means.

I have a book on "The Best Places To Live" because I'm a demographics/atlas nerd, and it ranks about 400 metro areas in stress factor. I believe my town got a pretty high stress rating because of poor healthcare, poor education and a declining industrial economy. And allergies and weather from hell. It's not a big town either, so there's no big-city amenities to offset things.

Writing this out has made me wonder why I don't move.