Hawaii is Happy (Cakes)

Hawaii residents had the highest well-being rate in the United States in 2009, pulling ahead of 2008 leader Utah, Gallup Poll results indicated.

What's it take to be living  a happier, healthier life? Honolulu residents joined  Rocky Mountain cities such as Boulder, Colo., Utah cities like Provo, and  California towns like Santa Rosa, Santa Barara and San Jose have the highest concentrations of generally happy residents, accourding to the 2009 Gallup Health Ways Well-being Index.

The Gallup-HealthWays Well-Being Index, conducted in 2009, interviewed  350,000 adults to assess their finances, physical health, mental outlook, jobs and communities.  The score for the nation and for each state is an average of six sub-indexes, which examine life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities, Gallup said.

Nine of the top 10 well-being states are in the Wes and Mid Westt. Seven of the 11 lowest well-being states are in the South, Gallup said.

According to a news release from the pollsters, the Top 5 cities in terms of well-being are Boulder, Colo.; Holland, Mich; Honolulu, Hawaii; Provo, Utah; and Santa Rosa, Calif. The nation's capital, Washington, D.C., also made the Top 10, placing at number 8.

Most of the cities placing in the bottom 10 of the list of 162 medium- or large-sized cities were in regions facing tough economic conditions, such as the Alleghenies and the Rust Belt,

While these rankings are not intended to be a competition — they are not about winners and losers — they do provide government policy-makers, community leaders, media agencies, employers, health plans and health-care providers with an unprecedented level of detailed information about where communities are doing well, where they are struggling and where to best target policies and investments to assist residents to maximize their well-being,” it says.

The survey found that people living in cities with over a million or more residents tended to report better well-being than those living in smaller centers, but residents of small cities (250,000 people or less) felt safer walking at night and were more likely to report having sufficient money for housing. Having a major university, large military base or a state Capitol also seemed to boost a city's well-being index, the pollsters said.

In Hawaii, we think legal access to beaches,year around outdoor sports,  bike paths, good weather, tropical fruits, public and private universities and public transportation  and an aloha attitude make Hawaii a wonderful place to live. Is there still room for improvement in the Hawaii happiness and wellbeing index? The percentage of income required for housing, the public education system, drug addiction and reducing environmental hazards and impacts from agriculture and military use are areas to be improved.