Forbes Top 10 Impoverished Cities

Yesterday we played in Albany, GA. Forbes published an article of the 10 most impoverished cities in America. And Albany was on the list. I heard people talking about it at our show at Darton, and then when I turned the TV on in the hotel, they were reporting on it.

Apparently they had a bunch of plants close down around the same time. So the unemployment rate is ridiculously high there. We've played in 3 of the 4 southern cities on the list -Albany, Ga; Macon, GA and Rocky Mount, NC. They found the data from using a 2008 census, which shows the poverty levels based on yearly income. Plus, they factored in per capita incomes for a region, the number of food stamp recipients, and the percentage of people under 65 receiving public healthcare.

You would have never known it, though to be in the town. It was a beautiful place. And we actually stayed in an award winning Quatlity Inn that was so cute and quaint. People joked with us about making sure our vehicle was locked up... and actually when we were heading back from Cracker Barrel, I saw 6 police cars racing in a line to somewhere.... which wasn't very comforting. But it really seems like a wonderful place, so hopefully the people of Albany can get back on their feet soon. I just found it interesting and thought I would share.

You can read the Forbes article here.

~natalie