Georgia’s worst cities ranking shows it’s not always peachy living in small towns
What a difference a year makes.
In 2016, Macon was ranked the worst city to live in Georgia by RoadSnacks, an infotainment website.
This year, the county seat of Bibb County does not even show in the top 100 worst places to live in the state.
The website explains it uses “science” and “humor” to produce opinion-based articles that are meant to provide information and entertain.
“Don’t freak out that we updated it for 2017,” the site states.
Clarkston is now the worst place to live in Georgia, according to the analysis of crime, poverty, home values, education and unemployment.
The rest of the 10 worst Georgia cities are: 2 - Cedartown, 3 - Forest Park, 4 - Moultrie, 5 - College Park, 6 - Fort Valley, 7 - Brunswick, 8 - Cordele, 9 - Waynesboro, 10 - Stone Mountain.
Fort Valley police Capt. Jerrell Smith said he does not believe the rankings give an accurate portrayal of his community.
“Overall crime stats in Fort Valley are down as they are in Peach County,” Smith said Wednesday morning.
The Peach County seat ranked No. 8 in 2016 but sank two spots in 2017 due to 22.5 percent unemployment, the second worst in the state.
The report also states “you have a 1 in 27.2 chance of being robbed here every year.”
Cordele, which the website pronounced with a soft “e” as “cor-dell” instead of “cor-deal,” sank from the tenth-worst to No. 8 this year.
“The reall issue with Cordele is blight. Families here live well below the poverty line.”
Other Georgia cities making the worst list include: 14 - Americus, 18 -Albany, 20 - Eastman, 21 - Eatonton, 40 - Rome, 44 - Dublin, 46 - Milledgeville, 51 - Savannah, improved from No. 2 in 2016, 68 - Valdosta, 72 - Columbus, 73 - Statesboro, 79 - Warner Robins, 80 - Hawkinsville, 82 - Atlanta, 84 - Perry
Liz Fabian: 478-744-4303, @liz_lines
This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Georgia’s worst cities ranking shows it’s not always peachy living in small towns."