A Ranking of the Toughest Places to Live in the U.S.

Blink, and you’ll miss it—but East Cleveland’s troubles are hard to ignore. Once affluent, now one of Ohio’s most distressed suburbs, it’s become synonymous with abandonment. With fewer than 14,000 residents, the city has widespread vacancies, failing utilities, and crumbling infrastructure.

Police response times are long; fire services are underfunded. Residents feel left behind, a feeling magnified by the affluence of nearby Cleveland Heights. Hope flickers in community programs and youth centers, but the challenges—poor schools, high unemployment, deep-rooted mistrust—demand more than grassroots energy.