St. Petersburg Named One Of The “Happiest Towns In America”

The majority of people would agree with me when I saw that Americans are having a rough time. All of us are on the pursuit of happiness, but it seems difficult for everyone to get there. Well now, we know exactly where to go to be happy.

Last week, we found out that the state in which you live may have an impact on how happy you are.  We also found out Florida was ranked 8th in the United States for Happiest Places to live, but that wasn't enough for us. This week, we are narrowing down the search to the happiest towns.

Thanks to Outside, an active lifestyle enthusiast magazine, we now have a list of the best places to live for an active, happy lifestyle. A list that began with 300 towns was dwindled down to 15 using criteria that evaluated cities outdoor access, affordability, a safe environment, diversity, and freedom for residents to be who they are. Though the list is in no particular order, it's still good to know that Saint Petersburg made the list.

Anchorage, Alaska

Charlottesville, Virginia

Cincinnati, Ohio

Frederick, Maryland

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Hood River, Oregon

Madison, Wisconsin

Minneapolis, Minnesota

New Orleans, Louisiana

Plano, Texas

Reno, Nevada

St. Petersburg, Florida

Tacoma, Washington

Wilmington, Delaware

When it came to the happiest states, Florida made the Top 10. One would think the Sunshine State would be higher with it being ranked number 2 for emotional and physical well being, but our 44th ranked community/environment brought us down. Being ranked number 8 isn’t bad though!

Rounding out the top 5 states are New jersey, Minnesota, Maryland and Hawaii. The Aloha State had a strong case for the happiest state with it being ranked the highest for emotional and physical well being, but it was ultimately beat by the Beehive State. The happiest state in the United States is Utah, who came in with the highest ranked work and community environments.

I have lived in 4 cities in Florida and loved each of them differently. Tallahassee, Cape Coral, Fort Myers and now St. Petersburg. Which one did I like the best? I am loving St. Pete the most so far because there is a lot to do. None of the cities I lived in was named best place to live in the United States, but I did live near the one that is.

Scholaroo compared 150 cities in the US in 9 different areas. Affordability, Crime levels, Leisure/Entertainment, Quality of life, Healthcare, Education, Employment, and Infrastructure. Can you guess which city in Florida was ranked number one for 2023? This particular Florida city was ranked last for affordability but #1 in Leisure & Entertainment and Healthcare. Still can't guess? Below are the top 10 cities to live in the United States.

Cambridge Ranked Number One In Education and Employment. Even though they are number 10 on the list, these are great reasons to move here.

Leawood Kansas has a high ranking when it comes to the Economy. According to this list they are #3 .

Nebraska is in the top 10 for best healthcare. According to the research they are ranked #8.

Madison is ranked top 10 in Crime and Safety and economy. In both of those categories they come in at #6.

My mom lives here and she loves it. Alpharetta is ranked #3 in the Economy.

I've been to Portland and it's a very nice city. They have a high ranking in Leisure and entertainment. They come in at #4 in this category.

Amherst is a very safe place to live. They Rank #1 in Crime and safety.

Naperville ranked top 10 in leisure and entertainment and economy.

Carmel ranked #2 in Employment and #8 in Crime and safety.

Coming in at #1 on the list is Naples Florida. I didn't live in Naples but lived very close. They rank #1 in health care and leisure and entertainment.