Feeling Blue? Magazine Grades Cities On Depression (Texas Cities Found To Be Happiest)

Local 6 (Florida) ^ | March 9, 2005

[Stoat]

Feeling Blue? Magazine Grades Cities On Depression

Texas Cities Found To Be Happiest

 

POSTED: 12:15 pm EST March 9, 2005

 

Even before the Super Bowl, Philadelphia was a depressed town. The city of brotherly love comes in last in Men's Health's rankings of 101 cities on depression.

Philly is joined at the bottom by Detroit, St. Louis and St. Petersburg and Tampa, Fla., according to a news release. People are much more jolly in Texas. Laredo tops the list, one of four cities earning an "A+" from the magazine. The other least depressed cities include El Paso and Corpus Christi, Texas, and Jersey City, N.J.

Criteria for the rankings included information on antidepressant sales from NDC Health, suicide rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and information from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The rankings are published in the April issue of Men's Health, which will be on newsstands March 15.

[small_l_libertarian]

Yes, but you also have Cynthia McKinney and that Terrorist Prof at Southern Florida U.

Well, that explains it.

[USF]

I was surprised to see so many FLorida cities with low ratings on the happiness scale. I think the reason is that older people are often diagnosed as clinically depressed when they are merely lonely and rather frightened.

I think you're onto something there... I would like to know how they came up with the scores in the article because they sure don't sound right to me. I expected Sunshine State cities to rank higher too.

Sunshine makes all the difference in the world.

You got that right! ;o)

[SwinneySwitch]

#1 Laredo and #2 El Paso are both in blue counties!
#4 Corpus Christi was barely red but was listed as the second stupidest city in the country.

I think it must have something to do with the spicy Mexican food.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1357376/posts

[sionnsar]

People from all over the US read glowing magazine accounts of how Seattle is such a 'wonderful, livable city' and so people move here based upon that. After a few years of subjecting themselves to the 11 months of overcast and drizzle and one month of sun out of each year they get fed up with it and move back to Phoenix.

But stay longer and the adaptations start. This should have been a wonderful winter: blue skies, sunshine, warm, not too much rain (drizzle)... right now it's too warm to wear my jacket and I can't see a single cloud (it's late April weather) -- but I just want it to cloud up and rain!

[Not A Snowbird]

Snoqualmie just threw in the towel. They're closing for the year.

Now if Crystal would just give up, maybe we'd get a major storm blow through!

[Mr. Jeeves]

I was surprised to see so many Florida cities with low ratings on the happiness scale.

Must be something to do with the hurricanes they get every Saturday morning in the late summer. ;)

[Veto!]

LOL. Hurricanes are definitely depressing, in fact they are Tropical Depressions. I've been through two, including Andrew. As you may know, the barometer drops and drops, making everyone very sleepy. Hard to drag yourself out to the freeway to evacuate. Prozac will NOT help.

[TheWriterInTexas]

If you are looking for wide open spaces, anywhere outside of the DFW area is just beautiful.

I live in the DFW area and enjoy the metropolitan flavor. But the good news is, farm country is literally a half hour away in the car.

I've traveled the state, from Lubbock to South Padre and in between. There are any number of beautiful areas, each with it's own charm.

It's very inexpensive to buy a home down here, salaries are on par with other areas of the country (but no state income tax, yeah!), we have shopper's paradise and beautiful sunsets. Warning, though,we also have tornado season and folks are openly religious. If either of these bothers you, it's better to stay put.

[Gondring]

Yes, but Laredo is even *farther* from those places! :-)

If Yonkers is only 10-20 minutes from NYC or NJ, then it shouldn't rate higher than a D. ;-)

[Gondring]

Exactly.

[sionnsar]

Snoqualmie just threw in the towel. They're closing for the year. Now if Crystal would just give up, maybe we'd get a major storm blow through!

With the way things are blossoming like it was May, that would be hard on things here.

[Gondring]

Hey, Dark Skies, we agree on some threads, disagree on others. I'll just say we're both FReepers. :-) Just don't come after me during a manic phase, ok? ;-)

You do, however, have me wondering who thinks I'm shallow and cruel. Funny that in real life I get the exact opposite as the most common descriptions of me: deep and compassionate! Guess it's hidden here...Funny how impressions are made online.

Take care...

[Dark Skies]

Hey G...I was just jerking your chain...probably a quick burst of mania.

I think you know I appreciate the opinions of others particularly when they disagree with me.

How else can I know when I am in a phase of outer extremity?

I was thinking you were pointing out the high marks received by Jersey City. Right or wrong?

[Gondring]

Maybe those in Jersey City end up murdered, not dying of suicide or having the chance for antidepressants.

[Gondring]

I was thinking you were pointing out the high marks received by Jersey City. Right or wrong?

Yeppers...that's why I sent you the "Jersey-City-is-third-least-depressed-city-on-Men's-Health-List Ping" :-)

[Dark Skies]

Thx...you know B-P people run the range from ultra-schmart to ultra-dummkopf...unfortunately they never know when they are at which point...

Keeps 'em humble...some of the time.

I wonder how the writer of that article determined how depressed a city is...people lie, particularly about depression. You know, the old "hey, I'm feeling great!" thing.

Thx for the ping.

[Gondring]

They're pests in many places. yuck.

[Gondring]

I wonder how the writer of that article determined how depressed a city is...

Criteria for the rankings included information on antidepressant sales from NDC Health, suicide rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and information from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Thx for the ping.

yw!

[Not A Snowbird]

With the way things are blossoming like it was May, that would be hard on things here.

Oh, I know. You should see my cherry trees.

[KC_for_Freedom]

We believe Texas to be the happiest state encountered in our travels. (Lots of good conservatives all over the South, but they believe in two-stepping in Texas. (They do in AL too, but the good folk in CA are too intellectually superior to go dancing and drinking. ) And we even cross the border to dance and eat on the Mexican side (at Nuevo Progresso, not Laredo). But This is just anecdotal, we have lived in AL, CA, and Austin Tx. More ppl went out to eat in Austin than anyplace in CA or AL. Don't know about clinical depression, when we lost out job and had to sell a house at half what we paid for it (Austin '89) it was quite depressing for everyone. Lots of divorces and such. My guess is that a study like this has more variables than the researchers can handle. Otherwise New Mexico (where they also dance al lot) would be higher.