Amaerica's Unhappiest Cities

[SwizzleStick]

I am beginning to wonder about whether this tells us very much. I don’t know much about those other cities, but I do know something about St. Louis. The City of St. Louis, whose population has been shrinking drastically for decades, is now mainly the “inner city” for a metro area that contains 100+ and rapidly multiplying suburban cities which hold far and away most of the population.

I don’t know if that’s true of any of the other cities, but if you don’t talk about the remainder of the metro area of St. Louis, nothing else you say about “St. Louis” is valid.

Thanks, Ridgerunner! See, we aren’t so bad after all, or at least not as bad as polls seem to indicate.

 

[rpp]

it’s ironic that the city which seems to have the most going for it: natural beauty, quality of life, outdoors, breweries, …etc. is the most depressed. goes to show that liberalism is a road to misery.

I believe there is a strong relationship between depression and depravity. Portland Oregon is one of the most depraved cities in the USA. I mean look at the example of Portland’s newly elected mayor, Sam Adams, kissing a boy in the men’s room at City Hall, then having sex with him. When this came to light during the election, he destroyed the reputation of the man accusing him of slander, libel and homophobia. It turned out everything his accuser said was true. He has now admitted to lying in order to get elected. Yeah, Portland is a very happy place - NOT!

 

[KathleenElsie]

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/02/0226_miserable_cities/image/pittsburgh.jpg Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Overall rank: 14
Depression rank: 10
Suicide rank: 10
Crime (property and violent) rank: 24
Divorce rate rank: 45
Cloudy days: 203
Unemployment rate (December 2008): 5.6%

Somehow we made #14. Low unemployment compared to the USA, crime # 24 and divorce #45. Depression and suicide are ranked as number ten, we have a huge medical center and many universitites here could that make our stats off the mark? This might not be something to brag about but why # 14?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks, Ridgerunner! See, we aren’t so bad after all, or at least not as bad as polls seem to indicate.

Oh, absolutely! I live about as far away from St. Louis as a person can be and still be within the state. But I love St. Louis as a whole, and think it’s a truly delightful place, notwithstanding the truly strange accent. Well, even that can be amusing: “It’s a quahter mile to Highway Farty. Let’s stop here for an ice cream sunduh.”

 

[SwizzleStick]

Oh, absolutely! I live about as far away from St. Louis as a person can be and still be within the state. But I love St. Louis as a whole, and think it’s a truly delightful place, notwithstanding the truly strange accent. Well, even that can be amusing: “It’s a quahter mile to Highway Farty. Let’s stop here for an ice cream sunduh.”

I could do without the summer heat and humidity, but overall, I think it is a nice place to live. It isn’t too far of a drive to get away to more rural areas for a hike or camping, yet one can also find good restaurants, museums, a great zoo, a sculpture park, cathedrals, the symphony, etc. And, one must go get a “sunduh” at Ted Drewes at least once during a spring, summer and/or warm autumn evening.

 

[rpp]

I could do without the summer heat and humidity, but overall, I think it is a nice place to live. It isn’t too far of a drive to get away to more rural areas for a hike or camping, yet one can also find good restaurants, museums, a great zoo, a sculpture park, cathedrals, the symphony, etc. And, one must go get a “sunduh” at Ted Drewes at least once during a spring, summer and/or warm autumn evening.

You know, I am originally from the St. Louis area. Both my parents grew up there. When my parents retired about 15 years ago, like many retirees, they wanted to move to a nicer climate. They wanted to get away from the heat and humidity and just be in a place where they could be more comfortable. So they moved to Anchorage Alaska.

 

[SwizzleStick]

You know, I am originally from the St. Louis area. Both my parents grew up there. When my parents retired about 15 years ago, like many retirees, they wanted to move to a nicer climate. They wanted to get away from the heat and humidity and just be in a place where they could be more comfortable. So they moved to Anchorage Alaska.

Well, I’d say they accomplished their goal in getting away from heat and humidity by moving to Anchorage, Alaska! But, do they like the snow and cold? I guess so, if they’ve been there for 15 years!

 

[pprimeau1976]

What would Portland’s suicide rate be if Oregon did not allow physician assisted suicide? Does this factor into the equation at all?

 

[rpp]

What would Portland’s suicide rate be if Oregon did not allow physician assisted suicide? Does this factor into the equation at all?

I was wondering this as well. It is unclear whether those who killed themselves legally with the doctors assistance were included. I do tend to doubt it. In Oregon, when a person is euthanized, the cause of death is not called suicide but rather whatever the terminal medical condition was.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I was wondering this as well. It is unclear whether those who killed themselves legally with the doctors assistance were included. I do tend to doubt it. In Oregon, when a person is euthanized, the cause of death is not called suicide but rather whatever the terminal medical condition was.

You mean like “homicide”?

 

[KathleenElsie]

Did they factor in the BHO vote? I wonder how many of these cities supported our new regime.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Did they factor in the BHO vote? I wonder how many of these cities supported our new regime.

No. If you look back at the first post it has the factors: Depression, Suicide, Crime (property and violent), Divorce, Cloudy days, and Unemployment rate (December 2008).

Do you think voting for Obama indicates people are happier or unhappier?

 

[KathleenElsie]

No. If you look back at the first post it has the factors: Depression, Suicide, Crime (property and violent), Divorce, Cloudy days, and Unemployment rate (December 2008).

Do you think voting for Obama indicates people are happier or unhappier?

I just wondered if buyers remorse was part of this. You know those that wanted change and the rich to pay for everything have no more today then yesterday.

Also there will be no change that will bring riches to the masses and when people realize this they will be really unhappy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just wondered if buyers remorse was part of this. You know those that wanted change and the rich to pay for everything have no more today then yesterday.

Also there will be no change that will bring riches to the masses and when people realize this they will be really unhappy.

I really have wondered about this. So far, there really doesn’t seem to be all that much of a payoff to the paid off. That could change, I guess, but right now it’s looking pretty thin. I wonder, then, whether Obama supporters will, in the end, be satisfied if all he does is knock a few high earners around.

 

[TwoDachshunds]

it’s ironic that the city which seems to have the most going for it: natural beauty, quality of life, outdoors, breweries, …etc. is the most depressed. goes to show that liberalism is a road to misery.

I would propose that “quality of life” and “depression” are mutually incompatible.