If Pokémon Was Real, This Georgia Town Would Be the Worst

DALTON, GA — There may be plenty of Pokémon players in Dalton, Georgia. But, according to a new survey, they should be glad they're not trying to "catch 'em all" for real.

Dalton, in northwest Georgia near the Tennessee state line, would be the worst place in the United States for Pokémon trainers if the wildly popular series of games happened in the real world, says Chmura Economics & Analytics.

Chmura, which studies and shares labor market data, looked at five industries they decided have employees that would be best suited to help real-world Pokemon trainers along. They were:

• Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (Trainers)
• Gyms
• Veterinarian offices (Healers or Pokemon Centers)
• Selected retail shops (PokéMarts)
• Selected education (Professors)

"If Pokémon were real, trainers would be most successful in regions with the greatest concentration of people with the skills to help them become masters," said the company's CEO and chief economist, Christine Chmura.

So, what's wrong with Dalton -- a city nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and home to many of the world's leading carpet manufacturers?

Chmura said the region's score was hurt worst by its relatively low number of gyms and professors.

Macon, Ga. also would fare poorly in a world where Pikachu and Bulbasaur are real. Macon finished ninth from the bottom in the survey.

If it's any consolation, Macon, you were only one slot behind Las Vegas.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ithaca, NY, would be the best place to be a Pokémon trainer if the game was real, the survey showed.

Rounding out the top five were Hanford-Corcoran, CA, Corvallis, OR, Merced, CA, and College Station-Bryan, TX.

Photo from HealthGauge, via Wikimedia Commons