A key to happiness is... where you live?

nd5056

DIS Veteran
Joined
Dec 10, 2008
2019’s Happiest Cities in America

Not sure if you can standardize the happiness, but if possible, here are the results.

I have a mixed feelings with Chicago being in 107th spot. While the taxes, traffic & raising crimes, especially in Downtown are making life miserable & worry some, we do have a greater accessibility & selection to all kind of world cuisine, bakeries etc, and all kind of children/teens activities.

While I could he happier in many other places, I'm not sure if my children would agree with me on that one.
 
Some surprises on that list. I was surprised to see anywhere other than Denver (or really Boulder) on top and was surprised on how far down Columbus, OH was.

The bottom two are no surprise at all.
 


2019’s Happiest Cities in America

Not sure if you can standardize the happiness, but if possible, here are the results.

I have a mixed feelings with Chicago being in 107th spot. While the taxes, traffic & raising crimes, especially in Downtown are making life miserable & worry some, we do have a greater accessibility & selection to all kind of world cuisine, bakeries etc, and all kind of children/teens activities.

While I could he happier in many other places, I'm not sure if my children would agree with me on that one.

You beat Milwaukee. HAHA.

Looks like they're quite unhappy in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Misery. Not all that happy in W. Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, or Indiana either.
 
Some surprises on that list. I was surprised to see anywhere other than Denver (or really Boulder) on top and was surprised on how far down Columbus, OH was.

The bottom two are no surprise at all.

Of course they're unhappy in Columbus. None of them got into Michigan and they all had to attend their safety school.

 
Some surprises on that list. I was surprised to see anywhere other than Denver (or really Boulder) on top and was surprised on how far down Columbus, OH was.

The bottom two are no surprise at all.

You two cities are without doubt the worst on the list.

But we ARE on the list.
 


2019’s Happiest Cities in America

Not sure if you can standardize the happiness, but if possible, here are the results.

I have a mixed feelings with Chicago being in 107th spot. While the taxes, traffic & raising crimes, especially in Downtown are making life miserable & worry some, we do have a greater accessibility & selection to all kind of world cuisine, bakeries etc, and all kind of children/teens activities.

While I could he happier in many other places, I'm not sure if my children would agree with me on that one.

Well Fiona finally had enough of Chicago.
 
You beat Milwaukee. HAHA.

Looks like they're quite unhappy in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Misery. Not all that happy in W. Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, or Indiana either.

Lots of generational poverty, low education, poor health, and rampant drug abuse in most of those states. As a Kentuckian who is soon to be a Floridian again (I have a job lined up, juust waiting for house to sell.), I can say that, at least here, there is not of lot of "fun" to be had, even though I live in the 2nd biggest city in the state. Many, many people here are unfriendly and depressed and take it out on everyone around them. Culturally, the only interests seem to be bourbon, tobacco, horse racing, and college basketball. Obesity is the norm. I meet people daily who tell me "I can only drink pop, water makes me sick". Most people my age are on drugs or in a suboxone treatment program. At least once a year I have to call the police on a random man who is chasing me or beating on my car or harassing me (different ones each time, the most recent one saw me walk out m of work and came at me ). I cannot wait to leave this place, and I can understand why it doesn't rank highly.
 
Shocking - places with higher income and less unemployment and job insecurity are happier. I never would have guessed! And those last two? Who would have thought that cities where anyone who can afford to moves to the suburbs would be unhappy places? :rotfl:
 
OP,KS isn't surprising at all. It's frequently on the list of places to live and have families.

Some of these things do appear to be regional which isn't surprising but yet in some ways is.
 
Everytime I see one of these lists they're very different, but I do think where you live makes a difference in how happy you are. What makes the lists so different is that everyone has their own idea of their happy place. I never want to move back to my hometown. My sisters think it's the best place in the world. They wouldn't live anywhere else.

For the list in the OP specifically, I found it interested that three of the cities listed surround where I live. We're pretty much in the middle of them. I consider there being very little difference in them, but they're ranked far apart. I'm talking cities that are within 20 or so miles of each other. I also find it humorous that one of them is considered a city at all.
 
For the list in the OP specifically, I found it interested that three of the cities listed surround where I live. We're pretty much in the middle of them. I consider there being very little difference in them, but they're ranked far apart. I'm talking cities that are within 20 or so miles of each other. I also find it humorous that one of them is considered a city at all.
I don't find that all too surprising but I think that's because of where I live.

Overland Park, KS (ranked 12th) is located very close to Kansas City, MO (ranked 126th) but the rankings are extremely far apart. They are actually part of the same metro too. And while there similarities between the two (I mean we all live in the same metro) there are some differences simply based on County and State lines which deals with city and county budgets, income, crime (though OP does still have crime it's not near the level of KCMO), and so many other things. Now that may not be the case though with the cities you are talking about though.
 
...Who would have thought that cities where anyone who can afford to moves to the suburbs would be unhappy places? :rotfl:...

Could it possibly be compared to a life in the golden cage?? Comfy, yet boring and predictable?
 
I don't find that all too surprising but I think that's because of where I live.

Overland Park, KS (ranked 12th) is located very close to Kansas City, MO (ranked 126th) but the rankings are extremely far apart. They are actually part of the same metro too. And while there similarities between the two (I mean we all live in the same metro) there are some differences simply based on County and State lines which deals with city and county budgets, income, crime (though OP does still have crime it's not near the level of KCMO), and so many other things. Now that may not be the case though with the cities you are talking about though.

The cities I'm talking about are all in the same state. The cities ranked higher have slightly higher property taxes. The largest city has more crime, but that's to be expected. There are a lot more people & more bad areas, due to the substantially different size of the cities. The cities are so close that people drive all over the area for employment. My DH works in the lowest ranked city, even though we live across the county line. In his field he makes more money there. Don't get me wrong. I can see why the biggest city is ranked lower, but not by such a wide margin. There are some extremely nice areas in that city. The funniest part to me is that they consider one of the locations a city at all.
 
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Cedar Rapids is a scary place to live and smells terrible because of the Quaker Oats factories. Not sure why it’s so far up on the list.
 
You beat Milwaukee. HAHA.

Looks like they're quite unhappy in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Misery. Not all that happy in W. Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, or Indiana either.
Well I am happy & most ppl I know in NOLA are. Unfortunately, I know there is a huge gap in this area like many urban areas so I suspect that’s what drags the rankings down. But, personally, I would never want to live anywhere else.
 

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