The "rat capital" of the United States is Chicago, according to a study done by the apartment search site RentHop. There were over 50,000 complaints about rodents filed by Chicago residents in 2017, more than double the number of complaints received by New York City, the runner-up for the dubious title.
The Windy City is an ideal place for rodents because the "abundance of garbage and buildings...makes it a great location for these rats to seek shelter and food for survival."
The neighborhood with the most complaints was Logan Park, with 2,448 lodged last year.
The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation pushed back on the study saying "rodent complaints are not an accurate indicator of the rat population," according to the Chicago Tribune.
“Rodent complaints are not an accurate indicator of the rat population in an area, however they do show that Chicagoans care about the health and safety of their communities,” said Marjani Williams, spokeswoman for Streets and Sanitation, in a written statement. “(Streets and Sanitation) encourages residents to report rodent activity to 311 so that our crews can quickly investigate and address every sighting.”
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