The Best, Worst, Happiest, Most Miserable Expensive and Dangerous Cities of 2010

There's a folk tale about cities that goes something like this: An old man sat outside a city. As travelers approached they would ask: "What kind of people live in this city?" The old man would say, "What kind of people live in the place where you came from?" If the travelers answered, "Bad people," the old man would reply, "You will find bad people here as well." But if the travelers answered, "Good people live in the place where we came from," then the old man would say, "You will find good people here as well."

Wisdom and "eye of the beholder" aside, here are some surveys that attempt to answer the question, "What city is the best, the worst or the most of something?"

• But first, are these rankings even vaguely useful? How does this fascination with rankings affect cities? For places like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the answer is probably: It doesn’t. Very large cities probably don’t need to worry about businesses and would-be residents judging them based on lists. Next American City
• America's Most and Least Desirable Cities in Which to Live
• 25 Best Places to Retire
• Most and Least Expensive World Cities
• Most Digital Cities
• Happiest States and Cities
• America's Most Miserable Cities
• Cities With the Most Hybrid Vehicles
• Most and Least Affordable Cities to Buy a House
• World's Most Livable Cities (Slideshow)
• Most Dangerous American Cities
• World's Most Beautiful Cities
• World's Most Populous Cities
• Most Bike-Friendly U.S. Cities/ World Cities
• Most Walkable Cities
• Most Hurricane-Vulnerable Cities
• The 10 Most-Popular Cities for First-Time Job Seekers
• Most Stressful Cities
• Most Recession-Proof Cities

We hope that perusing these lists and the judgments behind them will help spur you and your community to a better happier, more beautiful and livable 2011.