America's Happiest and Most Depressed Cities
 

The 20 Happiest Cities

1. Laredo, TX: A+

2. El Paso, TX: A+

3. Jersey City, NJ: A+

4. Corpus Christi, TX: A+

5. Baton Rouge, LA: A

6. Honolulu, HI: A-

7. Fresno, CA: A-

8. San Jose, CA: A-

9. Lincoln, NE: B+

10. Bakersfield, CA: B+

11. Buffalo, NY: B+

12. Anchorage, AK: B+

13. Stockton, CA: B+

14. Shreveport, LA: B+

15. (3-way tie) Madison, WI: B, Montgomery, AL: B, and Des Moines, IA: B

18. Wichita, KS: B (:cool: My city :cool: )

19. (tie) Sacramento, CA: B and Omaha, NE: B

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The 20 Most Depressed Cities

1. Philadelphia, PA: F

2. Detroit, MI: F

3. St. Petersburg, FL: F

4. St. Louis, MO: F

5. Tampa, FL: F

6. Indianapolis, IN: F

7. (3-way tie) Mesa, AZ: F, Phoenix, AZ: F, and Scottsdale, AZ: F

10. Cleveland, OH: F

11. New York, NY: D-

12. Salt Lake City, UT: D-

13. Atlanta, GA: D

14. (3-way tie) Yonkers, NY: D, Pittsburgh, PA: D, and Kansas City, MO: D

17. (3-way tie) Long Beach, CA: D, Los Angeles, CA: D, Nashville, TN" D

20. Portland, OR: D

Here is the article

Its interesting that Wichita, KS is number 18 as one of the most happiest cities, but it also ranks as number 2 in the US as one of the worst places for being single/dating.

I guess there are a lot of happy married couples here. :) Either that, or a lot of Xanax is being dispensed here.

How are Buffalo and Anchorage on there? Have they been to Buffalo???

-Rudey

Does "happiest" secretly mean "crack smoking?"

That survey goes by number of anti-depressants sold, suicides, and days people reported being depressed. So, OF COURSE, the cities with a high elderly population are going to be "highly depressed" - doctors hand out anti-depressants to old people like candy!

Besides, if I have to move to Jersey City to be wonderfully happy, I'll stay here & sulk.

I am surprised Seattle is not one of the most depressed because of the amount of antidepressant use in the area (not to mention the state)

(I used to work for the mental health agency in Snohomish County)

Whoa.... I live in #13 on the depressed list!!!! :)

I'm still trying to figure out how a city can be happy or depressed.

"St. Petersburg, the doctor will see you now."

Ok, point here...

If you're going by anti depressants sold, then that's a misnomer for cities like San Diego. Everyone here seems to be happy and bubbly, and I'm really surprised we didn't make the list. I'm saying that many of these college kids fake "injuries" to try and get anti depressants to get wasted off of, so if that's a factor, then it's misleading.

I gotta agree... how could Buffalo not make the depressed list - it's depressing just driving through it... or thankfully by it.

Re: America's Happiest and Most Depressed Cities
 

I so knew that Detroit was gonna make the depressed list!! This city (or should I say STATE) depressed the hell out of me for the past 4 years!

Jersey City is a great place, perfect place to live right outside of NYC. Can't argue with that observation in this survey...

San Jose, Ca is a happy place? I guess if you don't work at Wendy's it is.

My city is number 19 (tied.)

Can't complain at all!

How ironic that I was actually considering relocating to Baton Rouge, LA earlier this year. ;)

Honolulu is truly a happy, clean place...and I hear the weather is nice too. :D

That's what I'm thinking. Buffalo is a depressing city.

The critics obviously never went during WAC Tournament or when Hawai`i or Boise State rolls into town! :p

Oh my...what were your parents thinking???

In the 80s, when BYU, SDSU, Wyoming, and the AFA were still in the WAC, you should have seen the drama at the dinner table when my cousin announced that he was going to BYU-Provo. The shit hitteth the fan. He's still ostracized from the family.

Funny how our schools and our conference may be small in comparison to those other ones, but the rivalries still run strong regardless!

Yeah, its great...depending on the area you are in. But walk a few blocks in the wrong direction...

I'm actually VERY surprised that JC is near the top of the list. I how many people from the various areas of Jersey City responded to the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. That and if sucide rates are based on where the hosptial is located. Most of the time whenever someone attempts suicide in the area, they are taken right to St. Mary's in Hoboken, so if they based results from the Jersey City Hospitals.

What a ridiculous study. The cities with the highest suicide rates aren't on the depressed side. What's up with that?

Re: America's Happiest and Most Depressed Cities
 

uh, yeah, ok. They forgot the fat and dumb part tho.

Seriously, did they visit there? About 3 people in the town can actually read, everybody is ghastly overweight, theres all kinds of crap in the river so babies keep being born without brains and there is a drug cartel war across the river that caused the US State department to issue a travel warning, 5 journalists who wrote about it ended up murdered and 34 Americans have dissapeared from there over the last year (stories have ran in the NY Time, Wash Post, etc). See website for missing here and its always about 120 degrees there because its in the desert. Everyone I know from there ABSOLUTELY HATED IT.

Cleveland is number 10? time for me to move, man :(

Does anyone have a Big Ceramic Vat that WTF Letters are painted on?:rolleyes:

Wonder what this Moron got from the Fed. Grant dupes to paint this friggen picture?

Remindes me of the TSETSE Fly mating Mi.:rolleyes:

alpahgam_alum lives in the ghetto of KC Metro area, I did, but is in sweeping changes.

Wow, I was beside My self in reading this in the paper this morning. What Friggen Ijoits.

Damn it, I am a Happy Person and dont forget it!:mad:

lifesaver, Bro. They do sucidual reviews or some kind of Crap! Govt. Sponsered investigateive reports.!:rolleyes:

Wow I always have a great time visiting the St. Pete/Tampa area! I was trying to think of what would make people sad about living there, besides all the hurricanes running through recently...a lot of my immigrant friends move there when first coming to the States, so perhaps its the stress of that...?

what happend to the two mickey mouse towns? it is suppose to be one of the happiest places on earth.

Denver is crying today. Perhaps I should send him to a good psychotherapist.

There must be something really wrong with me. I live in the #11 most depressed city and I just don't wanna leave.

Everyone knows Florida is full of drug addicts.....everytime i turn around someone I know is on some kind of pill. :rolleyes:

Its all the Spanish people in Tampa.....trust me. Its like Miami.

Baton Rouge is a pretty okay place. I go to LSU, and I have no problem saying I never want to leave. Sure its not big an doesn't have a lot of the shopping and things to do, but people are nice, fun, and very helpful. Who wouldn't be happy with such good food, and New Orleans an hour away?

WTF????????????? Why am I just now seeing this?

I don't live in the ghetto-- I happen to work in a not good area of town, not techically ghetto but commonly referred to it as the ghetto---run down, deserted, police helicopters frequently flying over-- but that is the office neighborhood-- NOT MY HOME!!!!!!!! I live in the suburbs--- use to be rural but is now full of very nice homes---no where near ghetto----- Tom, your area is more ghetto than my little town would ever be!!!

Witchatiti City, Ks!
 

honeykiss, I hate to say it, But, Not!!!!

Lives off of the AirLine Building Indistury and it anint happen now, once again.

Nothing wrong with Kansas City, More Fountains than Gay Pari, More blvds also.

At one time, KC Mo was the largest Land Masses in the USA for a Major City.

Well, guess still is for a Major Metro Area. Hell, Drive the I-435 Loop, take a lunch.:)

Anchored by The Chiefs/KC Royals on the East and The Kansas Speedway on the West oh and the New Arena Down Town, NHL, and NBA may be coming.

Guess What, you can get to about anywhere in KC Metro in regular traffic in @ 20 Min.

Oh 2 things, a lot of Killings going on now but gang related in the wrong part of town:mad: and a whole lot of s*it to do!

Oh, Please do not think about moving here. Like it like it is!!!!:cool:

i've been to laredo, el paso and corpus.... i've never seen anything happy about those places

Detroit will be the happiest place on earth tomorrow night, if the Pistons beat the Spurs!

I have been to El Paso-went for 36 hrs, it was depressing.

I live in Laredo, TX. it is a nice town to live in. =D i've done my share of traveling and people in other places aren't as friendly as in Laredo. i know this is based on anti depressants sold and stuff. All i can say is that we are a border town with Mexico and people go and see doctors over there because it's cheaper.. so im sure some people will buy their anti depressants over there too....

You bump this four-year-old thread to make your first post, and it's about that? Do you work for the Loredo Tourism Board or something?

Businessweek came out with the 20 Unhappiest Cities List today, and here it is:

1. Portland, OR
2. St. Louis, MO
3. New Orleans, LA
4. Detroit, MI
5. Cleveland, OH
6. Jacksonville, FL
7. Las Vegas, NV
8. Nashville, TN
9. Cincinnati, OH
10. Atlanta, GA
11. Milwaukee, WI
12. Sacramento, CA
13. Kansas City, MO
14. Pittsburgh, PA
15. Memphis, TN
16. Indianapolis City, IN (typo?)
17. Louisville, KY
18. Tuscon, AZ
19. Minneapolis, MN
20. Seattle, WA

*Editor's Note: BusinessWeek.com ranked 50 of the largest metros based on a variety of factors including depression rates, suicide rates, divorce rates, crime, unemployment, population loss, job loss, weather, and green space. The most heavily weighted factors were the depression, suicide, jobs (unemployment and job loss), and crime rates

I'm honestly surprised that Nashville is ranked so high on these lists. I think we have the perfect weather and a general atmosphere of creativity and optimism.

El Paso as #2 happiest. NO. There are some good things about EP but with all the stuff going on across the boarder and spilling over it is not happy.

If Pittsburgh's so unhappy, it's because so few people and publications spell the name right. It's Pittsburgh with an "h", people, to commemorate our Scots-Irish heritage!

Thank you! I feel like I am constantly correcting people on the spelling of Pittsburgh!