Several metro areas in California were unable to avoid foreclosure and the housing market crisis' far-reaching impact as four of the state's cities made it to the top five of Forbes' list of unhappiest urban regions. The cities all suffered from considerable declines in housing prices, massive unemployment, huge budget deficits and escalating taxes.
The number of Los Angeles foreclosures and distressed properties in the whole state made California one of the regions in the whole U.S. hardest hit by the housing market crisis. The impact of the crisis was felt in almost all areas of the state's economy, including local finance and community safety. According to the Forbes list, Stockton was the unhappiest urban region in the U.S., with three other California metros making it to the top five.
The huge supplies of California foreclosures also resulted in Merced, Sacramento, and Modesto ranking higher than other U.S. cities, with only Miami as a non-California city to break in to the top five. Forbes stated that Florida and California both enjoyed a rise in population during the economic boom, with majority of people preferring the weather in these two states.
The influx of residents resulted in high demand for housing and when the residential property market hit a snag, the massive housing unit supplies dragged the states' economies down and both regions were unable to avoid foreclosure ramifications, analysts stated. Forbes ranked 200 of the biggest metro areas in the U.S. using factors, such as employment, taxes, crime rates, weather and even local sports teams' performance, to gauge the standing of each city.
Another significant factor that was considered by the publication was the housing market. Majority of the cities in California were unable to free foreclosed homes for sale from their books, causing huge declines in housing unit prices. In Stockton, prices of houses dropped by 58% within a three-year period and the rate of unemployment averaged 17.2% last year. This year, the rate of unemployment in the metro area is expected to rise even higher.
However, local officials stated that there is more to Stockton than statistics and data. They expect the city, along with the rest of California, can be able to avoid foreclosure increases this year.
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