Saint Paul & Minneapolis Residents Happier Than Most

Men’s Health Magazine recently released a list of 100 American cities and the overall happiness level of their citizens. Would you be surprised to know the Twin Cities ranked in the top 20?

Saint Paul is listed as the eighth happiest city on the list. Its Minneapolis neighbor to the west ranked a less-cheerful-but-still-impressive 14th. St. Paul received an A- for an overall grade, while Minneapolis earned a B+.

The results were calculated using an algorithm that took into account suicide rates, unemployment numbers, antidepressant usage and a measure of people who report feeling “blue”.

The top 10 happiest cities are as follows:

1. Honolulu, HI ~ A+
2. Manchester, NH ~ A
3. Fargo, ND ~ A
4. Omaha, NE ~ A
5. Boston, MA ~ A-
6. Madison, WI ~ A-
7. Sioux Falls, SD ~ A-
8. St. Paul, MN ~ A-
9. Burlington, VT ~ A-
10. Plano, TX ~ A-

The 10 saddest cities, according to Men's Health, are:

91. Las Vegas, NV ~ F
92. Reno, NV ~ F
93. Miami, FL ~ F
94. Birmingham, AL ~ F
95. St. Louis, MO ~ F
96. Louisville, KY ~ F
97. Tampa, FL ~ F
98. Memphis, TN ~ F
99. Detroit, MI ~ F
100. St. Petersburg, FL ~ F

“Men’s Health” says it found that even locations with abundant sunshine and warmth were particularly susceptable to the blues. Researchers also discovered that bike paths and parks play a role in how happy residents are, allowing people to recover from stress and fatigue. Green space and bike paths, of course, are abundant in the Twin Cities.

For the full list, visit menshealth.com/best-life/frown-towns.

Source: Men's Health: St. Paul Slightly Happier Than Minneapolis