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20 Cities You Don't Want to Live In...Yet

The Bad: St. Louis made the list for a variety of reasons: Unemployment remains near 10 percent, it has one of the highest crime rates in the nation and it is prone to natural disasters.


The Good: St. Louis was named one of America’s “Most Livable” communities by Partners for Livable Communities. It’s highly walkable, with a lot of cultural institutions and is one of the best sports cities in the U.S. with the St. Louis Cardinals (baseball), St. Louis Rams (football) and St. Louis Blues (hockey). “It’s a civilized Midwest oasis,” Sperling said.


The Recovery: The city has taken revitalization seriously, offering businesses and developers tax credits for moving in downtown. And in 2006, it received the World Leadership Award for urban renewal.