At the 2012 State of the City address, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero announced that his city is getting better.

However, Forbes Magazine seems to disagree, ranking Lansing as the 13th most miserable city in the country. Mayor Bernero was quick to dismiss this claim.

"Lansing is leading Michigan's recovery, that's a fact. We were just named the number one manufacturing growing city in the country," Mayor Bernero said.

The ranking is based on 10 factors including violent crimes, foreclosures and taxes. Lansing made the list due to lots of foreclosures, high property taxes and what Forbes calls lousy weather.

When presented with the list, many residents are speaking out in Lansing's defense.

"It's a beautiful state, there's a lot of waterways, lots of parks," said MSU student Alex Williams.

"There's a lot of winter sports, I like that," said Lynn Bergen.

The number of foreclosures may be a more significant problem for some, but real estate broker Jeff Thornton says the market is on its way up.

"The number of buyers out there is overwhelming. I believe if that continues you're going to start seeing fewer vacant homes," Thornton said.

Mayor Bernero, while serious about defending Lansing's growth, is also poking fun at the credibility of the rankings.

"According to these folks, West Palm Beach is the 4th most miserable place in the country, come on!" Mayor Bernero said.