We're #1! (Unfortunately)

Years ago we lived near Baton Rouge, Louisiana; I taught on the LSU campus while my husband was in graduate school. The area along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans was known as "Cancer Alley," called that because of all the industrial plants along the river and anecdotal evidence of high rates of cancer (unsubstantiated scientifically). Well, now it seems we're in another toxic place: Forbes just named Atlanta the most toxic city in the United States. Forbes based its calculations on 

the number of facilities that reported releasing toxins into the environment, the total pounds of certain toxic chemicals released into the air, water and earth, the days per year that air pollution was above healthy levels, and the total number of Superfund sites.

Actually, by "Atlanta," Forbes means "metro-Atlanta," including Marietta and Sandy Springs. Interestingly enough, cities such as New York don't make the top-ten of Environmentally Toxic Cities in the U.S. A. because of fine subway systems that encourage people to leave their cars at home. Here in Atlanta, we have MARTA, a system in financial difficulties and, according to Wikipedia, "by far the largest United States transit agency not to receive state operational funding." (Yay, Georgia! so progressive!)  The other states in the top ten ETCUSA:

2. Detroit
3. Houston
4. Chicago
5. Philadelphia
6. Cleveland
7. Los Angeles
8. Jacksonville, Florida
9. Baltimore
10. Portland

Oh, and in my home state of Texas-- "Houston, we have a problem," an air problem, that is, according to Jim Lester, vice president of the Houston Advanced Research Center.

Facilities in Houston released 88.7 million pounds of toxic chemicals in the environment in 2007, and the former site of a methanol fire and chemical explosion number among the city's 50 Superfund locations. Factories that serve the local petrochemical industry emit benzene and 1-3 butabeine, toxins proven to be particularly harmful, that the area's intense sunlight and lack of wind keep trapped in the local area's atmosphere.

Fortunately, I wasn't planning to return to the Houston area to live, even though five generations of my family preceded me in making the Houston-Baytown-Beaumont area their home. But where to go if Atlanta gets too toxic for my tastes? Well, according to Forbes, here are the top ten LEAST toxic cities (among "the  country's 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas") in which to live:

1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Sacramento, CA
3. Riverside, CA
4. Austin, TX
5. Seattle, WA
6. San Diego, CA
7. Virginia Beach, VA
8. San Jose, CA
9. New York
10. Phoenix, AZ

Oh, well....none of these cities is on my list of dream places to which to retire. So I guess I can still keep dreaming......