A new list released by 24/7 Wall Street shows the worst 50 cities in the United States based on two dozen measures. Most cities on the list have high crime rates, widespread poverty, weak job markets and few attractions and entertainment options.
The bad news for Arizona is that one city made the list. But, the good news is just one city made the list, unlike states like California, which had a whopping 10 cities listed. Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Michigan all had five or more.
With that said, drumroll please.
Coming in at No. 41 on the list is Douglas, Arizona. Douglas is located in Cochise County in southeast Arizona on the border with Mexico.
According to 24/7 Wall Street, these were the factors that pinned Douglas on the list:
• Population: 16,576
• Poverty rate: 31.9 percent (top 10 percent)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 249
• Median home value: $88,200 (bottom 10 percent)
"Douglas, a small city in southern Arizona along the Mexican border is the only city in the state to rank among the worst places to live. A relatively poor city, half of all area households earn less than $31,000 a year, and nearly 32 percent of the city's population lives below the poverty line. While Douglas has a relatively low violent crime rate, property crimes like larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft are far more common in Douglas than the U.S. as a whole.
In recent years, jobs in the city have been disappearing. Employment in Douglas declined by 37.5 percent between 2012 and 2017. Over the same period, the number of people living in Douglas fell by 4.4 percent."
Douglas was incorporated in 1905. It's the birthplace of John D. Driggs, the mayor of Phoenix from 1970-1974; Lorna E. Lockwood, the first woman to serve as chief justice on a Arizona Supreme Court; and former Arizona State quarterback Mike Pagel, who went on to play 12 years in the NFL in the 1980s and 1990s.
Douglas has a history in mining and was named after businessman James Douglas, who introduced copper mining innovations and even has his own Wikipedia page.
Douglas is home to the historic Gadsden Hotel, which opened in 1907, named after the Gadsden Purchase, where the U.S. acquired nearly 30,000 square miles from Mexico in the Treaty of Mesilla. The hotel is five stories, 160 rooms and arguably the crown jewel of the town.
Either way, if you're from Douglas or live in Douglas and feel it doesn't belong on the list, don't shoot the messenger.
