Forbes Dirtiest Cities in America

[Dr Z]

Akron Comes in at #15!?!?

15. Akron, Oh.

The Cuyahoga used to be famous as "The River That Burned" from all the petrochemicals that got dumped into it. Though the river has come back to life, groundwater contamination remains, as does air pollution carried here by coal-fired power plants. Sperling Air Quality Index: 20 Sperling Water Quality Index: 36

PS I like how there is a google ad on the page that advertises a hotel to stay in the city.

19. Cleveland, Oh.

On the shores of Lake Erie, the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor metro area is home to 2 million people and a long history of heavy manufacturing that for decades pumped toxins into the air as well as the Cuyahoga River. These days, according to the EPA, the biggest toxic emitter is the ArcelorMittal metals plant. Sperling Air Quality Index: 29 Sperling Water Quality Index: 35

[LZIp]

LA being ranked #17 and Pitt not even on there makes this list lose any credibility.

[zippy5]

Just because a lot of people say Pittsburgh is dirty, doesn't make it so. Have you been there recently?

[Dr Z]

Have you been there recently?

Pittsburgh ranked 10th CLEANEST city.

Pittsburgh’s come a long way from its steel factory days. The city was voted the 10th cleanest city in the world by Forbes magazine on April 16, ranking it alongside such cities as Montreal, Vancouver, and Geneva.

Cities that made the cut were noted for their democracy and industrialization, specifically recycling efforts, waste control, transportation infrastructure, and energy generation and regulation, according to the magazine. Most of the cities were from countries with relatively high purchasing power — proof that a country has to have money to invest in green practices and can only sustain such practices if they produce a profit.

[LZIp]

Just because a lot of people say Pittsburgh is dirty, doesn't make it so. Have you been there recently?

Im actually from the Ohio valley, so yea. The metro area...Weirton, Steubenville, etc are still filled with power plants and steel mills.. Not clean at all. The city is nice, but this list used Metro area as an example..so the same should apply.

[GP1]

A dirty city or a dirty girl....You can have a lot of fun with both. Keep it dirty Akron!

[zippy5]

Im actually from the Ohio valley, so yea. The metro area...Weirton, Steubenville, etc are still filled with power plants and steel mills.. Not clean at all. The city is nice, but this list used Metro area as an example..so the same should apply.

Stuebenville is like 40 minutes from the city. That's like considering Akron part of Cleveland.

[LZIp]

Stuebenville is like 40 minutes from the city. That's like considering Akron part of Cleveland.

and Elyria is 36 minutes from Cleveland and Mentor is a half hour

[zippy5]

and Elyria is 36 minutes from Cleveland and Mentor is a half hour

A) I agree that it's stretch to include them in a dirtiest city column.

B.) They're still closer than Steubenville, and at least in the same state.

[ZachTheZip]

On the bright side, Ohio is not one of the 10 most depressing states in the US.

[Dave in Green]

The dirtiness ranking was based on two specific measures -- Sperling Air Quality Index and Sperling Water Quality Index. While there are other things that contribute to dirtiness, clean air and water are two of the big four critical elements that contribute to human survival, along with a healthy food supply and protection from severe weather conditions. Anything that threatens any of these four elements is worthy of our attention.

[Kangaroo Craig]

How did Detroit not make this list? The last time I drove through that place, it looked like someone dropped a bomb on it.

[g-mann17]

Akron Comes in at #15!?!?

15. Akron, Oh.

The Cuyahoga used to be famous as "The River That Burned" from all the petrochemicals that got dumped into it. Though the river has come back to life, groundwater contamination remains, as does air pollution carried here by coal-fired power plants. Sperling Air Quality Index: 20 Sperling Water Quality Index: 36

PS I like how there is a google ad on the page that advertises a hotel to stay in the city.

19. Cleveland, Oh.

On the shores of Lake Erie, the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor metro area is home to 2 million people and a long history of heavy manufacturing that for decades pumped toxins into the air as well as the Cuyahoga River. These days, according to the EPA, the biggest toxic emitter is the ArcelorMittal metals plant. Sperling Air Quality Index: 29 Sperling Water Quality Index: 35

Lost all credibility with that sentence. Cleveland is the one that caught it on fire, and it burned because of all the floating debree in it, had nothing to do with Akron. Its not like all of Akron's rubber companies dumped into the Cuyahoga, Goodyear used Cuyahoga water during production; Firestone, and BFG used Tuscarawas, which is why Summit Lake is a cess pool, but don't blame Akron on the burning river.

[Dr Z]

Lost all credibility with that sentence. Cleveland is the one that caught it on fire, and it burned because of all the floating debree in it, had nothing to do with Akron.

I took the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad down to Akron this fall, on the tour they referenced how the river fire effected Akron at the time. Sounded like a plight. Wiki