The happiest city in the country was just named and you might be surprised (or not surprised) to know that it’s located here in Northern California. What exactly constitutes a “happy city”, though? A variety of factors went into determining what the happiest cities in the United States are according to this WalletHub report. After breaking down and looking at each of these factors, these rankings actually make a lot of sense. Pretty much every Northern Californian will probably attest to the fact that we live in the greatest place on earth, but now it’s official.
The good people at WalletHub just completed their 2018 report for the "Happiest Cities in America" and Northern Californians will be happy to know that we have several cities in the top spots. However, coming in at #1 was the lively town of Fremont.
With a population of 233,136, Fremont is a bustling gem of a city located in the Bay Area. The city topped the "Happiest Cities" charts with an overall ranking of 79.89. For reference, the least happiest city was Detroit with a ranking of 28.65.
A variety of factors went into determining which cities were happier than others, such as "Emotional and Physical Well-Being", "Income and Employment", and "Community and Environment".
The article mentions that for years researchers have recognized that the key ingredients to happiness are "positive mental state, healthy body, strong social connections, job satisfaction and financial well-being". All in all, each city was ranked according to 28 different categories.
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It's easy to see why Fremont ranked #1 when it came to "Community and Environment". The region is absolutely gorgeous!
The city is completely surrounded by the most gorgeous, green foothills with many ways to explore them. Places like Coyote Hills Regional Park and Mission Peak Regional Preserve make it possible to immerse yourself in incredible natural beauty...and it's all just minutes away from the city. Fremont has also notably been a "Tree City USA" since 1996, and is home to approximately 55,000 trees throughout parks, streets, and landscaped areas.
The city has average high temperatures in the high 70's and low 80's, with lows never reaching below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It doesn't get much better than that!
When it comes to "Income and Employment", Fremont ranked #6 overall.
For this section, the study looked at factors such as Income-Growth Rate, Poverty Rate, Job Satisfaction, Job Security, etc. Over the years, Fremont has continually been recognized for its strong economy. They've been highly ranked in the country when it comes to the number of start-ups per capita, innovation, and education levels.
But, wait. Fremont wasn't the only city in California to make it to the top of the list. The nearby city of San Jose was ranked as the third happiest city in America.
