Changyi, China

With a population of just over 302,000, Changyi offers little in the way of cosmopolitan thrills. This former seat of a short-lived imperial dynasty is a sleepy backwater, where bureaucratic entanglements and natural disasters have long vexed residents. The city's brief tenure under the ill-fated Emperor Liu He, who was deposed after only 27 days on the throne, seems to foreshadow the ongoing challenges facing those who call Changyi home. For pragmatic types willing to navigate the region's persistent headaches, this forgotten corner of China may hold some appeal, but the average urbanite would be wise to seek their fortune elsewhere.