Illinois and Wisconsin Each Have 1 of America’s Most Miserable Cities

The Herald Weekly recently posted a list of the 50 most miserable cities in America and some of the usual suspects made the list like Huntington, West Virginia, Newark, New Jersey, and Shreveport, Louisiana.

There also was a nice representation of miserable Midwestern cities that ranked high including Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, and Gary, Indiana.

Wisconsin Has 1 City on List of 'Most Miserable'

I personally can't think of one spot I've visited in the Dairy State that I would consider a miserable city. But then again as a Bears fan, there is that one city up north that's pretty miserable during the football season.

According to the U.S. Census Data compiled by Herald Weekly, one of the top 50 most miserable cities in America is Milwaukee. Really? I don't agree. But according to the survey, here's why Brew City made the list.

Another city filled with an industrial mess, Milwaukee is not pretty. Additionally, the crime rate is pretty high. While some areas remain safer than others, some more dangerous spots of the city are responsible for a crime rate of 1,597 per 100,000 people.

A poverty rate of 8.4 percent and an unemployment rate of 4.6 percent doesn't help Milwaukee's case, but the local police are beginning to slowly beat crime in the city, according to the study.

Which 1 Illinois City Made Top 50 Most Miserable?

Before we reveal the city from the Land of Lincoln that this survey says is "miserable," take a moment to guess which town you think it is.

I'm sure there are many guessing Rockford or Springfield, or could it be the beloved Naperville that is secretly the most miserable in our state? Actually No. And it's not Chicago.

According to Herald Weekly, one of the Top 50 most miserable cities in the United States is Cicero, Illinois.

Cicero has had significant issues with gangs for decades. In fact, the city’s reputation as a hub of gang violence dates all the way back to the 1920s when it was considered Al Capone’s “private playground.”

Cicero attempted to drive the gang activity from the community in 1999 when they put an order in place that would force "gang members to leave within 60 days or face a $500 fine for each day they stay in the city."

According to the article, that attempt "hasn’t done much to improve the violence in Cicero."