Report: Chicago, N.Y. Most Stressful U.S. Cities

New York, NY (AHN) - Chicago and New York City are exciting cities, to be certain, but a major report also lists them as the most stressful cities to live. Forbes magazine recently looked at several quality of life issues, including economics, housing and transportation issues and determined that Chicago is the most stressful city in America to live, followed closely by New York.

The nation's economic woes have hit the Windy City especially hard, with rising gas prices and soaring unemployment cited in the report, along with air quality issues.

The Big Apple, meanwhile, has a host of negatives that make it a challenging area to live, including battling for subway seats or cab rides on a daily basis and the near-impossible challenge of finding affordable housing.

Detroit placed third on the Forbes list, due to continuing struggles in the auto industry and pollution woes.

The two large California cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco take a hit at four and five, respectively.

High population density and rising unemployment plague two of the places under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's watch.

San Diego, perhaps surprisingly, checks in at No. 6 due to expensive housing though beautiful weather and sunny beaches make the city a worthwhile place to live for most.

Forbes utilized information from various sources in its report, including the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo housing opportunity index, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the insurance company AAA, the EPA and the U.S. Census Bureau.