Worst County in the Country? Explain why?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Obvious ones already mentioned so I'll throw in Houston, MN as it contains La Crescent,  which is now easily my least favorite city in Minnesota, hands down.

[bergie72]

Worst county -- Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.   over 30 public officials charged and sentenced for corruption over the last 5 years, including the entire Kids for Cash scandal, that is now been made into a motion picture documentary.  State Reps and State Senators in jail or waiting to go to trial, County Commissioner jailed, City of Wilkes Barre (county seat) rife with corruption as well.   

Stay the hell away from here.   Trust me...

[RedSLC]

Besides ones that have been mentioned, I'm going to add Elbert County, CO to the list. At first glance it's a pretty standard mix of conservative plains territory and exurban settlements, with absolutely nothing to see or do in either, but what truly sets it apart from the other eastern plains counties is this map.

[Pessimistic Antineutrino]

Kalawao County, HI. It was created as a place of exile for lepers. Now it has no legitimate government, little to no visitor access. With no new residents arriving, the population continues to shrink. There is no reason for this county to exist anymore if there ever was one. Should just be absorbed by Maui County.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Surrey, obviously.

[Donerail]

Buffalo County, SD is heavily impoverished, a good couple hours from the nearest major city, and has an unemployment rate eclipsed by only a few countries in Africa and Central Asia - and Turkmenistan probably has more houses with kitchens, indoor plumbing or windows than Buffalo County. Basically a third-world country in America. Truly depressing that something isn't done, but America, I guess.

[H. Ross Peron]

I don't see the hate for Orange County (CA). The OC is no longer the lily-white, Bircherite stronghold it was in the 1960s. These days its just as diverse as suburban LA and the northern OC has numerous urban elements.

[TNF]

Whichever one has the highest concentration of rich people, obviously.

[Sol]

Whichever one has the highest concentration of rich people, obviously.

I don't know about that though- that'd require deeming several counties which are actually pretty decent, both politically and otherwise (Alexandria City or Marin County might vote for a Socialist Candidate if the General Election was pubbie vs. Socialist, although that's much more likely for the former than the latter).

[⛄]

One of those thousand sparsely populated counties in Texas or Oklahoma.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Magoffin County KY
Dent County MO
York County SC

[Gass3268]

In Wisconsin I'd have to go with Washington County or Florence County.

[Sol]

I'm fairly shocked that no one here said Horry County, SC.

[TJ in Oregon]

For Wisconsin, I'd have to nominate Menominee. It's entirely on an Indian Reservation and the economic statistics are utterly horrible. It seems incredibly depressing.

[Zioneer]

Utah County, Utah. Home of Provo and BYU.

[MurrayBannerman]

For Indiana, it'd probably be Lake just because of Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Merrillville, and Hobart.

Then again, the only other county in Indiana I have firsthand knowledge of is Tippecanoe.

[Sol]

For Indiana, it'd probably be Lake just because of Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Merrillville, and Hobart.

Then again, the only other county in Indiana I have firsthand knowledge of is Tippecanoe.

Hamilton County seems fairly bad.

[DC Al Fine]

For my province, Cape Breton County. A small post-industrial city with 20% unemployment and a bit of a meth problem.

[MurrayBannerman]

For Indiana, it'd probably be Lake just because of Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Merrillville, and Hobart.

Then again, the only other county in Indiana I have firsthand knowledge of is Tippecanoe.

Hamilton County seems fairly bad.

Explain. It's hard to beat any county with Carmel in it.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

For Michigan, I probably have to nominate Gladwin County.  I don't really have much firsthand knowledge of it, but I understand that it has a significant population of white supremacists, including the KKK and skinheads.  Other than that, I really can't name one.

[Hatman 🍁]

For my province, Cape Breton County. A small post-industrial city with 20% unemployment and a bit of a meth problem.

I was unaware of the meth problem, interesting.

I answered earlier Orange County, but I'm having difficulty thinking of somewhere in Canada. Maybe Toronto (historic county: York)? lol.

[Sol]

Dishonorable mention to any of a number of exurban fundie hotbeds in the South; Montgomery TX comes to mind in particular but there are many options here.

I think Livingston County*, LA may have it beat. It gave Obama 13.78% of the vote in 2012!


* I, for one, favor legislation requiring all county-equivalent units to be called counties.

[Mr. Illini]

I'll stick to Illinois I suppose.

Alexander County is certainly most depressing. Cairo's history goes back to when it was a booming port town at the intersection of the MS and OH Rivers. It was torn apart racially and got incredibly violent. Highway projects were also completed nearby the town which allowed people to bypass the town, killing its tourism industry. Between all of these unfortunate events, the county has seen massive abandoning and is struggling economically as well as struggling to avoid complete abandonment and preserve the town's history.

In terms of modern politics, Effingham County has to be the worst in the state. This county's extremist far-rightedness has made it stand out, even in already-conservative southeast Illinois. It is considered by some to be the beginning of the Bible Belt. It, like several southern Illinois towns, was a "Sundown Town" for many years. Because of this, it has been almost exclusively white throughout its history and remains 99% (not a joke or hyperbole) white today.  This county belongs somewhere in the south, because, as already said, it doesn't even fit in with the already-conservative southern portion of our state.

[Sol]

Some other Far-Right 'Burbs:

Kern, CA
Douglas, CO
Montgomery, TX
Waukesha, WI
Washington, WI
Ozaukee, WI
Williamson, TN
Union, NC
Hanover, VA
Putnam, WV

[Rockefeller GOP]

Eliot County, KY.  Poor, depressing, nothing to do and hasn't voted for one Republican nominee from Fremont to Romney!