Happiest states in America - 2018 version

[braumeister]

That list is fine if people rank all three categories equally, but most people don't. Those who don't mind cold weather and/or have the means to get away for part of the year can be perfectly happy in a colder place that is less crowded and less expensive. And, of course, those who hate the cold will never be happy in a winter climate regardless of any of the other positive attributes.

+1
I would love to live in a colder climate. But DW has lived in this area all her life and doesn't want to move, so this is it. I try to get away for part of the summer but enjoy the winter here.

 

[DFDubb]

LOL @ Nebraska being in the top 10. I can't even.......

 

[imoldernu]

Did you read, or understand the methodology?

 

[Walt34]

I am guessing you live closer to the Virginia side vs. Appalachia.

Yes, Virginia is 30 minutes, MD 20 minutes, and PA about 30 minutes. We've seen Appalachia and I rather doubt we'd be happy there.

 

[Red Badger]

North Dakota is always on the "good" lists. So why do less than 800k people live there?

I grew up there. Non locals don't survive - mentally/physically. Winter starts (earnestly) in early November and ends in perhaps late March. In January, -30 and colder with wind chill of -60 are not uncommon. During winter, sun rises at brunch time and sets at beer-thirty. Weeks on end where the high for the day is minus zero or below 10 degrees is very common. I've experienced snow and sleet in May.

If you want to see if your a fit, take a large, high velocity fan and climb into your freezer. Make sure the fan is on highest setting. If your happy several hours later, you're a fit! Also, since this is still much warmer than ND extremes, test should be done in t-shirt and underwear (panties) only. To the locals, it's just another day in uncrowded, arctic paradise.

My mega-corp had a large factory in ND. They always brought in execs from outside. Being a expat, I tried to tell the suits that they were "misguided." Sure enough, you could mark the calendar at 18 months when the bird would fly south.

Great hunting and fishing, family attractions, and a low weirdo quotient make it a great place for raising a family. Also, during the oil shale boom a few years back, ND had a vote on ceasing income tax. It failed as the common sense folks knew rainy days would come - and they have.

In contrast, on my last trip to San Diego, I got up early to jog on the ocean front boardwalk. I spent my whole run hurdling bums sleeping on the path*

In ND, they send 'em to the morgue to thaw out.

* Yeah, I know - harsh language.

 

[Dtail]

I grew up there. Non locals don't survive - mentally/physically. Winter starts (earnestly) in early November and ends in perhaps late March. In January, -30 and colder with wind chill of -60 are not uncommon. During winter, sun rises at brunch time and sets at beer-thirty. Weeks on end where the high for the day is minus zero or below 10 degrees is very common. I've experienced snow and sleet in May.

If you want to see if your a fit, take a large, high velocity fan and climb into your freezer. Make sure the fan is on highest setting. If your happy several hours later, you're a fit! Also, since this is still much warmer than ND extremes, test should be done in t-shirt and underwear (panties) only. To the locals, it's just another day in uncrowded, arctic paradise.

My mega-corp had a large factory in ND. They always brought in execs from outside. Being a expat, I tried to tell the suits that they were "misguided." Sure enough, you could mark the calendar at 18 months when the bird would fly south.

Great hunting and fishing, family attractions, and a low weirdo quotient make it a great place for raising a family. Also, during the oil shale boom a few years back, ND had a vote on ceasing income tax. It failed as the common sense folks knew rainy days would come - and they have.

In contrast, on my last trip to San Diego, I got up early to jog on the ocean front boardwalk. I spent my whole run hurdling bums sleeping on the path*

In ND, they send 'em to the morgue to thaw out.

* Yeah, I know - harsh language.

And there you have it. Thanks.

 

[Rosemary Strodtman]

Being around family and friends is more important to me than the weather. Anyone agree?

 

[Big_Hitter]

Being around family and friends is more important to me than the weather. Anyone agree?

no

that's why we moved from houston to boise

 

[Music Lover]

Being around family and friends is more important to me than the weather. Anyone agree?

I'm north of North Dakota and stay here because the net benefit of my family and friends exceeds the net benefit of warmer weather. I can go somewhere warm any time I need a break from the cold but I can't replace life long friends that have shared decades of experiences.

Many of us who grew up in cold climates simply switch over to inside activities in winter.

 

[street]

DW and I were visiting cousins (two brothers in a farming partnership) in Jamestown (100 miles west of Fargo) awhile back. We were having a farewell Sunday breakfast at the local Perkins. Every few minutes a customer would come in the door, see our table and walk over for some friendly conversation with our hosts. This was not an isolated thing -- we'd walk into a cafe and the boys knew everyone in the room.

Maybe that sense of belonging is a source of happiness. Or maybe it's the amount of booze the state consumes, eclipsing even my beloved Wisconsin. https://kfgo.com/news/articles/2018/mar/09/north-dakota-americas-drunkest-state/

Interesting! LOL I will say ND people are some of the best people I have known in my life time. I have had the pleasure to know a few and are some of the greatest people on earth IMO.

 

[joeea]

The Nordic countries are always rated near the top in happiness, yet they also have the highest per capita consumption of antidepressants.

Maybe consuming vast quantities of antidepressants is the key to happiness!

 

[joeea]

In contrast, on my last trip to San Diego, I got up early to jog on the ocean front boardwalk. I spent my whole run hurdling bums sleeping on the path

Well sure. But did hurdling bums make you happy?

 

[kgtest]

I'm not sure about Hawaii being the Happiest state. On Oahu, where about 1 million folks live, the cost of living is very high, traffic is near the worst in the nation (I used to spend an extra 55 minutes per day driving 26 miles, over what it should have taken me with light traffic). Many folks work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet. Still, overall, we are friendlier (IMHO) than many states, and we are surrounded by amazing oceans, with little pollution, few natural disasters, and relatively low crime rates. That said, I'm here, because it's the state that makes me the happiest! I'm sure most would agree that they live where they do because they like the area....?

I agree! I lived on Maui and everyone was super happy. Even a bad story was told in an enlightening manner there.

I was soo happy there, but there is a time and a place. I am super happy back where my roots are as well, as I raise my family. DW and I made a conscious decision to move to a Low COLA to have children, now I buy my sun in a bottle lol Vitamin D.

It's magical if you can find good paying work. I was fortunate but many worked 2/3 jobs to survive, which left little downtime to enjoy the island. But then again I think we enjoyed it differently than mainlanders would a Friday night. A sunset and a cocktail was all you needed for happyness, here on the mainland, our stuff holds us hostage.

 

[Winemaker]

Before I retired I was researching places to live and I wanted to know what state had the lowest population per square mile. That state was North Dakota. Then I went to NOAA's web site and looked up the climate there. Oh. That's why!

I scratched ND off my list immediately. I hate cold weather.

WV scored dead last on the happiness scale, but we must be outliers because we like it just fine.

As a former "mountaineer", WV always comes up dead last in health care and healthy living, too.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have been in northern Nevada for 21 years and love it. Mild 4 seasons with tons of stuff to do. We have lots of great friends and 1 of our 5 kids live here. We have 5 between us. They all used to live here but careers have taken them away. Lots of people retiring here because of the quality of life and low taxes. House prices have skyrocketed but most transplants come from more expensive areas.

 

[Walt34]

As a former "mountaineer", WV always comes up dead last in health care and healthy living, too.

Yes, I've noticed that and in other categories as well. I'm sure much of that comes from the large economically depressed areas. Here in the eastern panhandle, other than much less traffic, somewhat lower costs of fuel & groceries, and drastically cheaper real estate prices, life is not significantly different from the D.C. area. From inside the local Martins or Food Lion grocery stores one could not tell any difference. There is a decent hospital ~10 minutes away from our house and three others within 30 minutes. That is not true for most of WV, the money is just not there to support them.

 

[ownyourfuture]

In contrast, on my last trip to San Diego, I got up early to jog on the ocean front boardwalk. I spent my whole run hurdling bums sleeping on the path*

In ND, they send 'em to the morgue to thaw out.

* Yeah, I know - harsh language.

Doesn't seem harsh to me