Are you sitting down? Trenton listed among happiest cities (Opinion)

With all of the discord we are living through today, it’s hard to believe one would think that happiness was difficult to come by. Thankfully, there are plenty of people who still appreciate living in this country and the freedom and liberty that it has to offer. Now if you had to guess the city where the happiest citizens in this country live what would you say? I would’ve said some place like Key West, Florida where it’s sunny and laid back, or Butte, Montana where life is simpler and the livin’ is easier than it is here in the Northeast.

Well, I’d be wrong. Turns out the happiest people seem to be in Provo, Utah according to a new study by Senior Living. In analyzing what it takes to be considered happy, the survey considered factors like affordability, length of commute, housing affordability, income, and Life expectancy.

They came up with a list of the 20 happiest cities in the us. I’d you, scroll down the list, you’ll find that there’s one listed in NJ and ... are you sitting down? #6 is Trenton NJ. Yes, you read that right. Trenton. As in the state Capital.

20 Happiest U.S. Cities:

1. Provo, UT
2. Manchester, NH
3. Fort Wayne, IN
4. Lancaster, PA
5. Boise, ID
6. Trenton, NJ
7. Madison, WI
8. Washington, DC
9. Green Bay, WI
10. San Jose, CA
11. Cedar Rapids, IA
12. Des Moines, IA
13. Norwich, CT
14. Hartford, CT
15. Boston, MA
16. Worchester, MA
17. Albany, NY
18. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
19. Lexington-Fayette, KY
20. Ogden, UT

I know a few Trenton residents and they don’t seem all that tickled to me, but maybe they should be. The statistics don’t look too bad.

Here’s some of the info they came up with:

• First, the suicide rate per 100,000 people is 6.4. Apparently that’s pretty low.
• Surprisingly, the median household income is high! It’s $77,027
• Life expectancy in years is way above many other Jersey towns. Trentonians on average live till 78.9.
• Average commute length in minutes: 28.3. Nothing ages you more than a long commute!!
• Because it’s so populous, the crime rate is relatively low in Trenton. Shockingly, the Average crime rate per 100,000 people is only 321.
• The unemployment rate is low and averages 3.3%
• Percentage of income taken by annual rent is 25.89%, much lower than, say, Bergen or Essex county where up to 50% of your income can go to rent.

So, if you’re an unhappy New Jerseyan, perhaps it’s time to give Trenton a chance. It could be NJ’s best kept secret!

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