Small City in Washington State Ranked Among America’s Worst Places to Live
Excerpt from NewsBreak:
Washington State, renowned for its lush landscapes and vibrant cities, unfortunately, harbors some less desirable places to live. Amidst its many appealing locales, a small city has emerged as a stark contrast, earning an unwelcome distinction. According to a comprehensive study by 24/7 Wall Street, Yelm, Washington, has been named the worst place to live in the state.
Yelm’s journey from a rapidly growing city at the dawn of the 21st century to its current status is a tale of change and challenges. Located in Thurston County, Yelm’s population stands at 10,617. This city, once a symbol of growth and potential, now faces issues that overshadow its development.
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Interestingly, Yelm’s primary struggle isn’t with poverty or violent crime rates, which are common issues in many cities deemed less livable. Instead, Yelm’s challenge lies in its significantly high property crime rate.
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Living in a city with high ratings doesn’t necessarily equate to personal happiness; however, factors like high crime rates, poverty, and limited employment opportunities can significantly detract from the quality of life. Yelm’s situation is a clear example of how a single predominant issue, like property crime, can drastically impact a city’s livability and reputation.
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Worst Cities to Live in Every State
Excerpt from 247 Wall St.:
Washington: Yelm
> Population: 8,425 [actually 10,680 says the Yelm Chamber of Commerce]
> Median home value: $220,100 (state: $286,800)
> Poverty rate: 13.4% (state: 12.2%)
> Violent crimes per 100,000 people: 258 (state: 304)
Though residents of Yelm, Washington, are far less likely to live below the poverty line or be the victim of a violent crime than those in most cities on this list, other conditions in the city detract from quality of life. For example, property crime — a broad category that includes burglary and motor vehicle theft — is relatively common in Yelm. The city’s property crime rate of 5,750 incidents per 100,000 in 2017 was nearly the highest of any city in the state and well above the U.S property crime rate of 2,362 per 100,000.
Unlike most cities on this list that are growing relatively slowly or losing residents in recent years, Yelm is growing rapidly. Over the last five years, the number of people living in the city increased by a staggering 24.6%. Over the same period, the U.S. population expanded by just 3.8%.
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7 comments
It’s unfortunate that our town must wear the stigma of being the worst town to live in Washington. Especially when the emphasisfor that rating is based on the criteria of property crime and other cities have violent crime rates that fly off the charts.
I may be biased, but I think 24/7 Wall Street methodology lacks credibility and appropriate weighting factors.
The rating is also based on the incredibly high growth rate, which has been unique to Yelm for over 15 years since our town has been at or near the top of growing Washington cities consistently for 15 years. Perhaps the Planning Commission should review what got us here!
Coming from San Antonio Texas, the charm and beauty of this town is far beyond the negative statistics rating this town the worse to live at. This is foolish! Yes, this town has grown too fast .. we still keep the beauty of a small community. With some with some taste of amenities found in large cities. To me , if Yelm was so terrible to live at ..why is it that attracts so many people to visit us ? And why are so may families that decide to stay and live here? I have lived and traveled around the world… to find this town to be my home. right here in Yelm.
I agree and have lived here for 36 years.
Mater of options, might
Be the best place in the USA
Crime is only like a small problem compared to many other things. I was thinking it was due to the ridiculously high cost of living and the fact that the taxes here are insane. I paid less tax in NYC. The Yelm school system is also a problem, they are bleeding the town dry with their Levy’s every 2 years it seems like and if they don’t pass they just keep sending ballots until it does. Even with the last Levy of ove 100 million dollars they over spent by 16 million dollars and are not transparent with spending even though it is our money and children. We need a new mayor that’s goal would be to lower taxes and no new Levys. They will win by a landslide.
While this is a common misconception, the Yelm Community Schools maintenance levies are required by law to be put to voters every 2 years. These are NOT new levies every two years, rather a renewal of the existing levy based on the value of the property owner in the schools’ district.
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