Author |
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 7:06 am
Where can you find happiness? Texas, that's where. Three of its cities placed in the top four: number one, Laredo; number two, El Paso; and number four, Corpus Christi. 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 19. (tie) Sacramento, CA: B and Omaha, NE: B 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 (This is from msn.com/Mens Health Magazine/Sara Vigneri)
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 7:10 am
Indianapolis is only depressed because our teams never win championships. Otherwise, we're elated.
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Max
Member
08-12-2000
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 7:23 am
Wonder what they based these ratings on? I've lived in San Jose and I now live in Portland. I'd take Portland ANY DAY over San Jose. To me traffic and crowding is depressing as heck and I like seeing the seasons distinctly change (which is much more pronounced in Portland than San Jose). However, if sunshine makes you happy, then San Jose would win out. I just like to see green when the sun shines instead of brown hills and gray pavement. And Stockton is in the top 10? EEK! My brother lived there for years and it never seemed like such a great place to me. San Diego would win me more than Stockton or Sacramentor San Jose -- if I wanted California sunshine, anyway.

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Ladytex
Member
09-27-2001
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:09 am
I'd really be curious to see what they based their rankings on ... el paso???
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:10 am
Me too, LT. I think it's either Laredo or El Paso that has a higher pollution rate than Houston.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:20 am
Here is the link--in case ya wanna try to figure it out: http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100103843
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Maris
Member
03-28-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:25 am
New Yorkers are just depressed because we have a Republican Mayor and a Republican Governor.
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Crzndeb
Member
07-26-2004
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:26 am
STOCKTON????....born there, moved to San Diego for grammer school, moved back to Stockton for Jr. High and High school and escaped back to San Diego after I graduated.... Stockton is an awful place. The only good thing about Stockton is Chris Issak went to my high school (5 yrs behind me)......Moved up to Seattle area in 1985 and LOVE it.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:40 am
Ladytex and Texannie, I'm with ya'll. Laredo and El Paso? Maybe it's because they are border towns and when the illegals finally get here, they are very very happy. P.S. I'm not trying to be nasty with that statement. That's the only reason I can think of that would make Laredo (I've never been to El Paso) rate that high.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:42 am
I had the same thought! LOL
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Max
Member
08-12-2000
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:47 am
Men's Health compiled this list based on antidepressant sales, courtesy of NDC Health; suicide rates, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the number of days inhabitants reported being depressed, based on the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, accessed through bestplaces.net. Geez, that's a pretty poor way to pick happy places, IMHO. But I guess it gives one perspective. I'd love to see what other ratings this bestplaces.net comes up with, but I don't have time to sign up for the free membership right now. Maybe later. 
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Egbok
Member
07-13-2000
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:48 am
I live in the Los Angeles 'burbs. I love where I live and feel very happy here. Mountains resorts 2 hours away, coastline 20 minutes away....lots of traffic in between, but that's acceptable to me.
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:49 am
I wonder if they considered lots of antidepressant sales to make a happier place, or lower antidepressnt sales? I'm guessing lower.... It's not such a great way to do it, but Men's Health is like the male version of Cosmopolitan anyway. You can't expect tooo much.
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Pcakes2
Member
08-29-2001
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 9:55 am
umm...Jersey City??
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 10:05 am
Well, that explains it. People are so dirt poor in Laredo and El Paso that they can't afford to buy anti-depressants. They don't even have paved streets a lot of places in Laredo, for heaven's sake!
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Maris
Member
03-28-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 10:06 am
ROFLMAO. There was a tv show when I was a kid called Laredo. Loved it.
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Spygirl
Moderator
04-23-2001
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 10:27 am
Hey! Wichita made the top 20!
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 12:13 pm
On the NPR show "Michael Feldman's Whatta ya know" a few weeks ago they were doing their trivia thing and the question was which Carribean island has the happiest people. One caller said Jamaica and he told them they may be happy, but drug induced happiness doesn't count. The answer was Puerto Rico, but I don't remember why they said for a reason.
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Maris
Member
03-28-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 12:18 pm
Puerto Rico is the happiest because they sent all their depressed relatives to NY.
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Ginger1218
Member
08-31-2001
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 12:22 pm
Actually this New Yorker is depressed because there are too many democrats and liberals living in NYC. Just sayin ......
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Ginger1218
Member
08-31-2001
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 12:23 pm
Jersey City, yuuuuuccckkkk
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Danzdol
Member
04-21-2001
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 12:38 pm
Buffalo? happy? LOL!!!!!!!!!! riiiigggghhhhtttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Maris
Member
03-28-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 12:46 pm
Lol Ginger, and we got all those depressed Puerto Ricans.
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Ginger1218
Member
08-31-2001
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 12:55 pm
Hey most of the Puerto Ricans I know are pretty happy, and mostly democrats LOL
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Kady
Member
07-30-2000
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 12:59 pm
I am shocked that Louisiana has 2 cities on there. I do visit the casino's in Shreveport quite often so it is "my" happy place. 
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 2:55 pm
Hubby is a native Buffalonian and I've lived here for 10 years in Sept. and neither of us could believe Buffalo was on the list of happiest. Apparently having good jobs in a city is not a prerequisite for happiness. Other than that, its a beautiful city with tons of culture, which I truly didn't expect when I moved up here. Living so close to Niagara Falls doesn't hurt either.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 3:25 pm
Fresno a happy city? have you ever been there. NO offense to residents thereof, but it's almost as bad a rat hole as where I am.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 7:10 pm
Hahahahaha, Escapee, after you pointed out Fresno, a thought went through my head that I wouldn't be surprised if Bakersfield is one of the happy places. Hahahahaha!!! It is number ten! That place makes me depressed if I have to spend the night there.
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Abby7
Member
07-17-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 7:55 pm
I am shocked to see Fresno there too. Fresno has grown like crazy and there is so much new development (also in Clovis which is right next to Fresno). So there are nice homes and shopping areas, etc., but not much else IMO. Also, the weather is just terrible. It's foggy/cold in the winter and very, very hot in the summer. Only a few months out of the year that it is enjoyable. Luckily, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco are close.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:03 pm
Ok so people who are attentive to their mental health and take antidepressants live in depressed places? Maybe it's that the others are more depressed because they DON'T take antidepressants and it messes up the results. Trust me, I've been to Jersey City, Bakersfield, and Stockton and if you aren't depressed in those places you aren't paying attention! LOL.
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Maris
Member
03-28-2002
| Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 8:11 pm
lol and is it any surprise that NY got a D? Have you walked down park avenue? There are probably more shrinks in a ten block radious on Park than there are in Bakersfield and Stockton combined.
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Seamonkey
Member
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 2:21 am
Hmm, my cousin's widow still lives in Des Moines, late cousin, late aunt/uncle also lived there.. but none of them seemed all that happy to me.. I'm just as happy not to live in Sacramento. I bet Wichita is happy because Spy and Fly live there... Detroit was depressing even back when I lived there.. Long Beach was ok to work in, and I was probably depressed when I did work there, but not because of Long Beach, more carryover from the Detroit years .. Surprised Santa Ana isn't on the depressed list. I wasn't depressed the last time I was in Indy.. but I found they had Skyline Chili!! I WAS depressed as I zoomed past El Paso.. got a ticket! I like where I live.. Orange County 'burbs, for many of the same reasons Eggie gives.. I like that I get to drive along the Pacific Coast on my way to get a root canal... Bakersfield? Jersey City???
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Happymom
Member
01-20-2003
| Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 10:26 am
I haven't thought about Skyline Chili in years! Once I discovered it, I got it every time I was in Columbus, OH. There is something a bit similar to Skyline Chili that you can fix at home. It is definitely missing some key ingredient though. Anyway, it is in many grocery stores around here. I cannot remember the name. It is near the seasoning packet mixes, it comes in a small brown paper bag. I think it starts with an S. Maybe you can find it since you also live in CA.
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Seamonkey
Member
09-07-2000
| Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 4:48 pm
I actually ordered a case of cans of skyline chili!! I think I might have four cans left.. I've had Skyline every time I get to Cincinnati and found it in Indianapolis. On a long ago business trip to Atlanta, we found a chain called Cincy's at a mall and that was just like Skyline and yummy. I first got hooked when a place opened up in Orange County called The Cincinnati Chili Parlor and oh it was SO good and I got all sorts of people hooked on it and then they went out of business
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