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

A tale of two cities lives within Kansas City’s boundaries—and the North Side often draws the short straw. Violence flares up frequently, and police-community relations are fraught. Grocery stores are rare; liquor stores aren’t.

Many homes sit in disrepair, passed down generationally without means for upkeep. The schools struggle, hemorrhaging teachers and funding. But the North Side isn’t just decay—it’s defiance. Garden plots sprout on vacant lots. Juneteenth parades thread through the neighborhoods.