Ok I knew the air in my hometown (Visalia, California) was bad. But this shocked me! The cities in BOLD are very very close to Visalia. so keep that in mind. Woo go Central Valley!

U.S.City Air Quality Ratings

Every year, the American Lung Association uses air-quality-index data from the EPA to rank the air in U.S. cities from most to least hazardous.

Bad Air-Highest in ozone (ranked in descending order):
Bakersfield, California
Los Angeles, California
Visalia, California
Fresno, California
Merced, California
Houston, Texas
Sacramento, California
Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas
New York City
Philadelphia

Highest in particulate matter (ranked in descending order):
Los Angeles, California
Bakersfield, California
Pittsburgh
Visalia, California
Fresno, California
Detroit, Michigan
Hanford, California
Cleveland
Birmingham, Alabama
Atlanta

Good Air-Lowest in ozone*:
Colorado Springs
Daytona Beach, Florida
Des Moines, Iowa
Honolulu
Lakeland, Florida
Palm Bay, Florida
Port St.Lucie, Florida
Salem, Oregon
Salinas, California
Spokane

Lowest in particulate matter (ranked in descending order):
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Honolulu
Great Falls, Montana
Tucson
Anchorage
Farmington, New Mexico
Bismarck, North Dakota
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Rapid City, South Dakota

*A sampling of the most populous cities on the EPA’s list, unranked.


You know what? I still love this city. I wouldn't have wanted to be raised anywhere else.