A view of the happiest city in America
Does taking a vacation make you happy? Imagine how much more happy your travels could be if you visited “the happiest place in America”. Here’s a secret: you won’t find any over-sized mice when you get there.
According to the National Geographic book Thrive, by Dan Buettner, the happiest city in the United States has nothing to do with theme parks or major attractions. Where are you most likely to smile? San Luis Obispo, California on the Central Coast, according to Buettner.
The residents of San Luis Obispo received high marks in a 2008 one in the U.S. for overall emotional health and scored as “more likely to smile and experience joy and less likely to experience pain or depression.” What is everyone smiling about?
For one thing, there’s plenty of fresh air. San Luis Obispo offers more than 6,500 acres of protected open space for hiking, biking trails, and just generally enjoying the great outdoors. You’ll also find waterfalls, sea caves, and hillsides covered in wildflowers perfect for photographing. In addition to the nature scene, San Luis Obispo visitors can also enjoy the historic downtown and interesting local landmarks – like bubblegum alley, which is exactly what it sounds like.
To find this little slice of happiness, hit the 101 and drive about three hours north of Los Angeles.
Photo by MikeBaird on Flickr
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9 Responses
Obviously they are taking about the old conservatives not the college students who are living in a prison.
Jim? What prison are you referring to? I’ve lived on the Central Coast and its beautiful with one of the most temperate climates in the world. And yes, the people are very friendly, both conservatives and college students. The students at Cal Poly love the area so I’m not sure where this \prison\ you refer to is located. Sounds like you had a bad personal experience.
I agree with David. I have lived in the area all my life, go to college here and love it. I have been many other places and yet keep returning. =]
I agree that San Luis is beautiful, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s slow-paced and expensive, the college tends toward conservatism and elitism, and it’s windy as h*ll here. Mostly either students or older folks, has an agricultural flavor that is nice if you like that. It is isolated and there are few jobs. Crime rate is low and it is slow paced. In general a mixed bag. The “happiness” rating probably stems from the slow pace and low stress level, which can at times equate to boredom unless you really have a network of friends, work and extracurricular groups to keep you entertained.
shhh…
this place is freakin’ perfect – don’t tell a soul !!
don’t think i’ll EVER leave
so VERY happy !!
(coming from someone who’s lived on Santa Monca bay, Monterey Bay and Tampa bay)
no if you are in college in slo you GO to prison, its very nice but the old people are destroying it. Listen to a third year, dont go to college here if you enjoy freedom. The police extort us like they’re the mafia. Its a wonderful place just a shame that there are so many outsiders with money pushing absolutely loony ordinances that the authorities use to control the under thirty population.
They can have their SLO attitudes. I live 15 minutes from SLO, and could care less about visiting that town and most of the snobs that live there. They fail to mention the slew of civil rights abuses perpetrated at the hands of the local sheriff’s department. We truly are in a sad state of affairs if SLO is the happiest place in the country.
I moved here 25+ years ago from Orange County. Best decision I ever made. I never want to leave.
It is hard to get established here, because of the high cost of housing and fairly low wages.
But the area is beautiul, the weather is great, and it has live music, wine tasting, and lots of festivals.
For some people it might not have enough action, but it is perfect for me. And all my relatives want to move here.
I was born in SLO, and have lived there for my whole life. Honestly, it’s much more pedestrian friendly than Disneyland. Who else is certain that the Garden of Eden was here.