For A Totally Content Life, These Are The 25 Happiest U.S. Cities

@visitboulder

We’re all dreaming of a city with the perfect mixture of interesting culture, affordability and great location. We want that fantastic metro where we’ll be content forever.

Thankfully, there’s data for that. Twenty five cities in the U.S. stand above the rest for fostering exceptionally happy lives, according to National Geographic’s annual awards. Partnering with Reuters, Nat Geo ranked cities using statistics on health, vacation time, financial security and other more eclectic preferences (dental check-ups?).

The results signal that we should all head to Colorado because Boulder is officially the nation’s happiest city. The Rocky Mountain town topped the list because of its access to nature, walkability and local flavors. (Scroll down for the full list.)

A post shared by Visit Boulder (@visitboulder) on Aug 2, 2017 at 7:06am PDT

Boulder is a true mountain city. Most vantages offer an alpine view. You can actually hike right up into the Flatirons, giant sandstone slabs of rock towering over the Colorado pine forests.

If you’re looking to wander inside the city, Boulder’s the place. More people walk to work here than anywhere else in the U.S. Tourists stroll Pearl Street to see the cute shops in old historic buildings. Locals love Boulder Creek Path for shaded and paved nature trails right in the middle of the city.

A post shared by Visit Boulder (@visitboulder) on Oct 16, 2017 at 2:21pm PDT

Boulder is a pretty healthy place. Residents value outdoor exercise time, but also make sure they get good stuff on their plates. After your hike, fill up on farm-to-table restaurant dishes or buy ingredients to make your own at the award-winning farmers’ market.

The health factor doesn’t mean Boulderians don’t indulge. There are 20 breweries, four wineries and five distilleries in the city. Take your pick; you’ve got plenty of drinks to sample here.

A post shared by Visit Boulder (@visitboulder) on Aug 1, 2017 at 8:12am PDT

Check out the full list to see if your hometown makes the happiest 25 metro areas in the country:

1. Boulder, Colorado
2. Santa Cruz and Watsonville, California
3. Charlottesville, Virginia
4. Fort Collins, Colorado
5. San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles Arroyo Grande, California
6. San Jose and Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
7. Provo and Orem, Utah
8. Bridgeport, Stamford and Norwalk, Connecticut
9. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts
10. Anchorage, Alaska
11. Naples, Imokalee and Marco Island, Florida
12. Santa Maria and Santa Barbara, California
13. Salinas, California
14. North Port, Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida
15. Honolulu, Hawaii
16. Ann Arbor, Michigan
17. San Francisco, Oakland and Hayward, California
18. Colorado Springs, Colorado
19. Manchester, Nashua and New Hampshire
20. Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and Ventura, California
21. Washington, D.C., Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia
22. Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington, Minnesota
23. San Diego and Carlsbad, California
24. Portland and South Portland, Maine
25. Austin and Round Rock, Texas