Topic: SHR: WSJ's 10 most miserable cities list...

[elginherd]

2) Charleston WVa
1) Huntington/Ashland WVa/Ky

Here's the link...

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-most-miserable-cities-in-america-2014-05-07?siteid=yhoof2

[Scottyo614]

It's going to be like this for a long time I fear. I moved here seven months ago, even though I spent a lot of child hood here with grandparents. I must say some of the thought stuff has truly shocked me. People don't want to change or advance and those who do eventually get sucked into a I can't change it either mentality. There's the crowd who says ohh we have been doing it this way and it works... But it really stopped working 15 years ago.

Health wise the lack of nutritional knowledge is scary. I've had so many people come after lunch and go well I had a salad from local fast food... Then they say they put chicken, ranch and cheese on it... The amount of sodium consumed as well is crazy.

I know not every one is like this and the people have been so friendly to me. On a ratings scale until we advance certain mindsets and health concepts I don't see these areas getting away from the top miserable.

[svherd]

Why post this stuff. We get it, we are inbred retards who eat crap and smoke and drink. On top of that, we are lazy and don't like to work but love to make meth. Someone have a gun I can use?

[_sturt_]

As depressing as it is, it also represents opportunity for a school like Marshall to make the case for more and greater federal grants. Any one who has written a grant proposal knows... and anyone who hasn't surely would suspect... that the better you can demonstrate the need in your community for this or that, the stronger your proposal is to the reviewers.

Seriously... this is relevant, not just depressing, and Marshall needs to take advantage.

[clovenhoof]

Why post this stuff. We get it, we are inbred retards who eat crap and smoke and drink. On top of that, we are lazy and don't like to work but love to make meth. Someone have a gun I can use?

Lol... agreed.  Does no good to post this stuff.  People who are miserable should just leave.  I'm not miserable at all.

[_sturt_]

Pardon the observation, but I think some of you are taking this a little personally and defensively. We all should want everyone to have a better life, shouldn't we? And... Dr. Phil-ism alert... people can't change things if they won't even acknowledge there are problems.

My mom isn't miserable. She would be far more miserable living here in this Texas heat where I live... notably, enough, in city #6 in Casey's countdown (but at least we have the benefit of Houston just down the road an hour or so). She has her network of friends there in Hgtn, and everything is very familiar... important factors at any age, but especially at 80. Many if not most of you posting to this board from Hgtn obviously love continuing to live there.

But if my mom could help make it so that more people are living a quality of life that is closer to the median in all of the ways quality of life is measured, why wouldn't she? And as I hope MU faculty will notice, if this gives them even better traction to attract large federal grants, why wouldn't they?

Glass is half-full, in my opinion.

[elginherd]

It should be surprising that the percent of college grads is only 19% with MU in town. That might turn around in time, along with some of the ratings, after the Engineering & Biotech programs get well established. Those are the types of programs which spawn start-up business & industry within a region.

The group-think mindset in the tri-state...let's just say that I had a debate on here comparing the amenities of Kalamazoo MI to Huntington's. Someone, who lives in Rome, OH said words to the effect that he and others don't care about having minor league baseball or a good airport, etc in the area b/c 'we're only 3 hours from MLB or the Columbus airport'. That's the sort of thinking that is responsible to many of us leaving (not always by choice) to make a living.

[Scottyo614]

I've been wanting for years to use Marshall as a spring board for business. There's no reason beside some political why we don't have big business in Huntington and that would only help attract more students to Marshall

[HERDFAN1999]

I think these write ups are crap.  I've lived all over the east coast including both Carolina's, Virginia, and Florida.  I recently moved back to H'ton and love it.  You want a miserable city?  Go to Columbia, SC or Richmond, VA. 

[GreenSteve]

Gold and Silver...

[2xBison]

No doubt Hton and Charley west can get better.  But that title is misleading, it's a health survey and Appalachia / wv historically and culturally and economically won't do well there.

I travel nationwide regularly, lots of great places to be but I have never been anywhere that I said Wow, I have to get out of wv.

Lastly, any list titled that way that doesn't include Detroit or other cities of urban blight is inaccurate.  Why don't they include murder rates, violent crime rates, or other criteria to determine most miserable

[2xBison]

Ever hear phrase "fat and happy" 😳

[_sturt_]

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index® surveys 500 Americans every day. The index is a partnership between Gallup and Healthways that began in January 2008.

As of Jan. 1, 2014, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index now includes an updated set of questions, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5™. The updated survey represents the culmination of extensive research -- including approximately 2 million surveys of individuals on their perceptions of well-being -- and statistical modeling. Roughly half of the question items in the updated version are unchanged from the original index.

The updated Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index includes five elements of well-being, each with its own score on a 0-10 scale:

Purpose: Liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals
Social: Having supportive relationships and love in your life
Financial: Managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security
Community: Liking where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community
Physical: Having good health and enough energy to get things done daily

The index also continues to track key outcome metrics such as life evaluation and daily emotions.

[2xBison]

Yep and the article highlights health as supporting reasons for ranking

[_sturt_]

24/7 Wall St. also considered income, poverty and educational attainment figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, all from 2012, plus local unemployment rates and violent crime rates.

[2xBison]

Thanks sturt

I like your short quotes way better than your original thoughts

[svherd]

No doubt Hton and Charley west can get better.  But that title is misleading, it's a health survey and Appalachia / wv historically and culturally and economically won't do well there.

I travel nationwide regularly, lots of great places to be but I have never been anywhere that I said Wow, I have to get out of wv.

Lastly, any list titled that way that doesn't include Detroit or other cities of urban blight is inaccurate.  Why don't they include murder rates, violent crime rates, or other criteria to determine most miserable

Exactly. There are a hell of a lot of places who are in worse shape than our area. I love living here and can do just about anything I want.

You can have Detroit, St Louis, Dayton, any inner city pretty much sucks. jmo.

[_sturt_]

Thanks sturt

I like your short quotes way better than your original thoughts

Oh c'mon. Just admit it. That loud "What an a$$whole" I heard echoing in the skies earlier was your voice... hehe...

[rvntx]

Posting this crap in wrong forum!!!!!!!!!

[whf]

I just wonder who is actually at home when these folks call with these surveys???????????

[Huffnagel]

Thanks sturt

I like your short quotes way better than your original thoughts

;D

[goherd50]

Based on the way some of that is worded the fact we have an older population in WV would skew it some.

[Carolina_Thor]

Posting this crap in wrong forum!!!!!!!!!

It was qualified as "SHR", and it is.  We see discussions on here all the time about fan support, attendance etc.  I think this is related. 

CT

[clovenhoof]

I just wonder who is actually at home when these folks call with these surveys???????????

This is true if you think about it. The chronically homebound or unemployed will affect the results.

[firstate]

I thought I was skinny until I traveled out of state....then I realized I was fat.

Yep..it is that bad.

You got 10% that work, 20% too old to work, 20% that can't pass a drug test to work, 20% who just won't work..and the remaining 30% that are on some sort of check from the federal govt.

Gonna get worse too..with todays anti coal announcements.


And it's not the cities, it's the state..and too some measure most of Appalachia.

At least we r centrally located! ;D

Wish I had a solution.