The happiest people in America live in Naples, Fla. It’s the second consecutive year for Naples to nab the top spot in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index—so that should make the residents there even happier. Naples touts great wealth, health, and weather, which all helped it keep the number one spot on Gallup’s list for 2017.
Gallup factored in a variety of traits in determining the happiest cities, such as social cohesiveness, financial security, and how often residents venture out to try new things.
The top three spots on the “happy” list went to cities that also are major vacation destination spots.
“The better climates drive job growth due to tourism or businesses that want to relocate there,” says Cara Ameer, a Florida real estate pro. “This draws newcomers to the area, who are open to meeting new people and hence want to bring their time, talent, and energy to the community instead of looking for a way out. One factor continues to feed the other and so on. There is definitely a chain reaction of positive or negative things that can come of geographic locations considered more desirable versus others.”
The following are the happiest cities in the nation, according to
Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index:
- Naples, Fla.
- Barnstable, Mass.
- Santa Cruz, Calif.
- Honolulu
- Charlottesville, Va.
- North Port, Fla.
- San Luis Obispo, Calif.
- Lynchburg, Va.
- Hilton Head, S.C.
- Boulder, Colo.
Source: “Top 10 Happiest Cities … and 10 That Will Crush Your Soul,” realtor.com® (March 8, 2017)
