Oh, all the places we won't go

Since I neither own a home nor feel all that wedded to my current career, I find myself initiating a lot of conversations with the First Lady about cities where we might want to live in the future.

Tampa is a fine place to live. I love the beaches, the weather, the culture, some of the people. But unlike many folks who come to the Bay Area, I don't see myself retiring here.

But as easy as I can tell you where I might want to live, I have a much tougher time writing certain places off of my list. Fortunately, Forbes has tried to help out with a list of the 10 most "miserable" metro areas in the country. They ranked the metros on nine factors: commute times, corruption, pro sports teams, Superfund sites, taxes (both income and sales), unemployment, violent crime and weather.

Must say, I was surprised to see Chicago and Miami make the list. Can't say the same for Memphis, Cleveland, Detroit and Buffalo.

Given previous experience and that sort of feedback, I'm not so certain that I could live many places north of Washington, D.C., unless it was the Pacific Northwest. Those winters, the cost of living and the overall bleakness just scare me. Continue Reading »