Are you miserable? According to Forbes Magazine you should be.

Sacramento was ranked No. 5 on the magazine’s top 20 most miserable cities in America. I was stunned when I read that because I have never been happier in any place I have lived.

Why does Sacramento rank as one of the most miserable cities in the country? Forbes magazine weighed 10 factors in determining the misery index, which includes unemployment rates, foreclosures and crime statistics.

Sacramento has certainly seen its fair share of hard times. The unemployment rate in the city is currently over 12 percent and foreclosures in the region remain higher than most of the rest of the state. According to a February report by RealtyTrac, Inc., one in every 151 homes in Sacramento received foreclosure notices in January, versus one in every 200 statewide.

Much of the economic trouble is due to government layoffs, furloughs and struggling city and county budgets requiring service reductions and pay cuts. But, Forbes uses “quality of life” indicators that are also supposed to explain the misery level; things like traffic, weather and even the city’s professional sports team.

Sure, the Kings dismal record may have some basketball fans upset, and driving through downtown might not be pleasant during rush hour, but none of these factors seem to be a good reason to consider Sacramento a miserable city.

Ozgun Morkoc, sophomore computer information science, moved to Sacramento about a month ago from Istanbul, Turkey, and he loves this city.

“The people are really friendly here, and compared to Istanbul there is no traffic,” he said.

While comparing our traffic woes to that of Istanbul may be a stretch, Morkoch makes a good point.

The people of Sacramento have always seemed friendly and welcoming. It’s a place where people smile when they walk down the sidewalk, and say hello when you walk into a store. Most people just don’t seem miserable.

Sacramento is also the perfect city for people who enjoy a diverse climate. The snowy mountain resorts and the quaint little beach towns are both only a short drive away. If the heat is beating up the valley during the summer a pretty drive through the hills will get you to the cool breezy relief of San Francisco.

But, for those struggling in this economy it might seem like a miserable place to be.

H.D. Palmer, deputy director of external affairs at the California Department of Finance says that the Central Valley was hit harder by the foreclosure crisis than other areas. And, while he says we are past the worst point of the recession, we will still struggle for a while.

“Unlike other recessions this recovery will be much slower than before, job growth will be slow,” he said.

Slow job growth and high foreclosure rates would make most people miserable, no matter what city they live in.

But, Sacramento can be a great place for people who are employed and looking to buy a home.

Nuriddin Ikromov, business professor, said that for people who are in the real estate market this is a great time because the housing prices in Sacramento are low. Ikromov also points out that compared with the cost of living in the Bay Area and Southern California, Sacramento is a very affordable place to live.

“I think everybody is somewhat affected by the economy,” he said. “Overall everyone’s well-being is different than five years ago, but that’s not different than any other parts of the country,”

The median home price in Sacramento is currently $190,000 while the state-wide median is at $239,000, making Sacramento a bargain for house hunters.

While Sacramento is number five on the misery list, Flint, Mich., ranks number 11; Detroit number 15; Fresno is 17 and Bakersfield rounds the list at number 20.

I cannot grasp how our beautiful city, with its amazing weather, proximity to the immense natural beauty of Northern California, low housing prices and sense of community could be more miserable than any of those cities.

Even if I was miserable, Sacramento is where I would want to be. There is nothing like a short trip to the mountains to clear up the blues; nothing, of course, except a short trip to the beach.

Kelly Walters can be reached at [email protected]