Stockton is the most miserable city in the United States, and Modesto is fifth in misery. So says Forbes magazine in one of its typically provocative lists.
The Forbes rankings are actually based on metropolitan statistical areas, so all of San Joaquin County and Stanislaus County may wallow in the misery. But it's the two county seats that get the attention in Forbes and in the national media.
I have written about the cities from time to time in both CP&DR and Planning magazine. I don't consider either Stockton or Modesto to be the most miserable city in even California, let alone the United States. Neither are Stockton and Modesto paradise, and knee-jerk rejections of the Forbes ranking miss the point.
Most of the San Joaquin Valley – which stretches 250 miles from the Bay Delta to the base of the Tehachapi Mountains – can be pretty miserable. The Great Valley Center – probably the biggest cheerleader the region has ever had – has repeatedly pointed out that poverty is more prevalent in the valley than in Appalachia. People seeking high-paying jobs rise at 3 a.m. to commute from Stockton, Modesto and Los Banos to the Bay Area, or from Bakersfield to L.A. From about Fresno south, the valley chokes on air pollution that is worse only in the smoggiest parts of the L.A. basin. And now that the housing bubble has burst, prices have plunged by one-third to one-half all over the valley; 10% of the houses in some jurisdictions have been foreclosed. Apparently, a 3/2 on a cul-de-sac in a valley housing tract isn't really worth $400,000.
I tend to rate places based on qualitative factors. How does a place feel? Does it have vitality? What sort of cultural opportunities are there? How easy is it to get around with or without a car? Are the public gathering spaces clean, safe and well-attended? Is it a place where you want to spend time, or do you simply take care of business and leave promptly?
With few exceptions, the newer parts of Stockton and Modesto are faceless suburbia. Huge housing tracts, power centers and commercial strips behind parking lots, one- and two-story concrete-tilt-up business parks – all of it dominated by automobiles. You could be in the San Joaquin Valley, Colorado Springs or the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
But both Stockton and Modesto have sizable historic cores with local flavor. Downtown Stockton has a waterfront with a hockey arena and minor league ballpark, as well as public spaces that many cities would envy. Downtown Modesto is hopping with nightlife, especially on warm evenings. The downtowns are works in progress that still need a lot of private investment to capitalize upon the millions spent by public agencies. Still, the sky is the limit in both cities.
Potential for greatness does not change the present-day numbers, though. Stockton and Modesto have high unemployment, high crime, low educational achievement and dire foreclosure rates. And for about three months every year, the tule fog is thick enough to depress an Ecstasy addict.
The locals appear nonplussed by the Forbes list. The Stockton Record's official editorial stance? Yes, it's bad here, but at least we don't have to shovel snow.
The Modesto Bee says who cares about Forbes, we have a great water supply.
Indeed, the famous arch located at the entrance to downtown Modesto has long proclaimed, "Water Wealth Contentment Health." You can't miss the arch. It's right next to the Taco Bell drive-through.
– Paul Shigley
