PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A new study is claiming that Port Arthur is the second most miserable city in America but the mayor disagrees.
Business Insiders' study of the 50 most miserable cities in the country places the Southeast Texas city behind Gary, Indiana.
The study is based on census data and takes into consideration things like population change, household income and poverty.
"I believe whoever wrote the article is a miserable type of person or maybe living in a miserable city," said Mayor Thurman Bartie.
The report doesn't mention crime as one of the reasons for Port Arthur's misery like a lot of other cities listed. Instead, it highlights poverty and recent storms.
According to Business Insider, out of Port Arthur's 55,000 residents, 53 percent are working and 30 percent are living in poverty.
The city's been hit by hurricanes in 2005, 2008, and a tropical storm in 2017 which caused the city $1.3 billion in damages.
Although, refinery jobs help boost the economy in Southeast Texas, Mayor Bartie does admit that refineries are probably not the best view for any city.
"Seeing all of these refineries and smoke, yes it would look strange to an individual who has not been around it," said Mayor Bartie.
Mayor Bartie invites anyone to come to Port Arthur to see that it's actually not a miserable place to live.