A recent report by Men’s Health resulted in a “sad city” ratings chart, all of which were based on calculated suicide rates (CDC) and unemployment rates (Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of June 2011). Then they tapped SimplyMap for the percentage of households that use antidepressants as well as the number of people who report feeling the blues all or most of the time.
I was shocked to see Louisville in there based on my recent visit there, where I ran into tons of happy people. I traveled to the apparently “wrong side of town” where people were poor and the architecture didn’t look so grand, and found even more happy people, so not so sure how accurate it is, but it likely holds some truth based on the criteria that they used above.
Here are the top 5 sad cities in America according to their report:
5. St. Petersburg, FL
4. Detroit, MI
3. Memphis, TN
2. Tampa, FL ‘
1 Louisville, KY
San Francisco was number 80 out of 100 and Sacramento pulled up with #13. They also came up with the top five HAPPY cities. Do you agree?
5. Boston, MA
4. Omaha, NE
3. Fargo, ND
2. Manchester, NH
1. Honolulu, HI
The original piece was posted over at SF Gate, so take a look.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
