Are you an un-happy New Yorker?--article added at bottome

Newsday article

According to this study, we are the un-happiest state. Kinda surprised...are you?

ETA: Sorry, forgot about Newsdays subscription...article added at bottomm

Message edited 12/18/2009 1:57:48 PM.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

Verrrry surprised.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

I love NY -- always have -- and I've lived in the South before as well.

But for me I think one of the things that could make NY an unhappy state is the cost of living...its astronomical.

There's nothing more depressing than seeing a house for $180K in the Carolinas or Pennsylvania, that would cost $500K here in NY. (Particularly in NYC or Long Island.)

What I pay in rent for a 1bdrm apt that is less than 800 sq ft. is nearly 1 1/2 months mortgage for my friends 2400 sq ft house.
The money issues certainly can bring a New Yorker down.

Besides that, I love this state, and all the culture & diversity we have, even the weather is great to me.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

I love NY/LI. I am happy to pay more for what I feel I get in return. Politics and traffic aside I have very few complaints.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

Not suprised.

People who live up-state are buried under 6 feet of snow for 1/2 the year.

People around LI/ NYC pay astronomical amounts for houses, transportation, living, etc.

$$$ = a big factor right now.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

Yup! and to pay $11 a DAY to go over a 2 minute bridge, it just boggles my mind!

$150-$300 Parking tickets.

If I was not close to my family and if DH didn't work for the city I would def. move out of NY!

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

Not surprised. That is why I moved out of NY and now I am happier than ever.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

I was actually surprised by this. I feel like everyone I know really loves living here and I even know a few people who left and then came back. I personally love NY and would never live anywhere else heck, I don't even want to leave the neighborhood I was raised in!

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

I love NY, but the economy is just making it so hard to stay. I swore I'd never leave, but it's getting harder and harder to stay.

I think most people either love NY or hate it, there's no in between.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

I'm pretty happy, and that has a lot more to do with than the state I live in, how much my house cost, or the taxes I pay!

Maybe they're mistaking our abundance of sarcasm for something else. We can be pretty bold and sarcastic.

I can't read the article because Newsday has decided that I'm not worthy since I prefer their competitor's product.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

It doesn't surprise me. Alot of people I encounter on a daily basis are nasty. I also have family, neighbors and co-workers that I know who are very happy people. But in general-my dealing with the public at large (driving, commuting, shopping) people are miserable or they just act that way. At least in the south, it may be fake, they at least pretend to be polite

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

I think there's probably pros and cons to living anywhere.

I have this discussion with my IL's all the time because I grew up in the Hudson Valley. I think jobs up there are even more limited unless you are a professional in certain fields, and even then it can be hard to find something, or the pay is still so low that you may not be able to afford a house.

I know big huge brand new houses that were built in the woods and farmland of my childhood years----many sit vacant. I think a lot of it ties into people not being able to find jobs, or not being able to handle the commute back and forth to the city.

I also wonder how good the schools and doctors are in more rural areas as well as the south?

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

I think LI in particular is not what it used to be - like a pp said, with traffic and what not and not to mention the cost to live on LI particularly Nassau County. We've wanted to move out of NY for a while now but several factors including selling our house without taking some kind of loss are keeping us here for the time being. But, yeah, we are definitely unhappy NYers.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

BTW I hate newsday now I can't read the articles.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

I'm not but I know plenty of people who are unhappy.

I don't think it's because they are unhappy living in NY. I think it's because they're mainly miserable SOBs.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

Despite the faults...I love it and will probably never leave...heck I wont even leave Brooklyn!!!

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

People in sunny, outdoorsy states — Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida — say they’re the happiest Americans, and researchers think they know why.

A new study comparing self-described pleasant feelings with objective measures of good living found these folks generally have reason to feel fine.

At the other end of the scale, last in happiness — is New York state.

As if to illustrate the problem, residents attending a meeting Wednesday in rural Queensbury unleashed their anger and cynicism at a state government they described as corrupt, self-dealing and too quick to increase taxes. It was a tirade that had one lifelong resident saying he was ready to flee “this stinkin’ state.”

Economists Andrew J. Oswald of the University of Warwick in England suggested the long commutes, congestion and high prices around New York City account for some of the unhappiness.

He said he has been asked if the researchers expected that states like New York and California, which ranked 46th, would do so badly in the happiness ranking.

“I am only a little surprised,” he said. “Many people think these states would be marvelous places to live in. The problem is that if too many individuals think that way, they move into those states, and the resulting congestion and house prices make it a non-fulfilling prophecy.”

Oswald and Stephen Wu of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., compared the happiness ranking with studies that rated states on a variety of criteria ranging from availability of public land to commuting time to local taxes.

Probably not surprisingly, their report in Friday’s edition of the journal Science found the happiest people tend to live in the states that do well in quality-of-life studies.

Yet Oswald says “this is the first objective validation of ’happiness’ data,” which is something he says economists have been reluctant to use in the past.

“Very loosely, you could say that we prove that happiness data are ’true,’ — such data have genuine objective informational content,” he said.

“Moreover,” Oswald added, “it is interesting to uncover the pattern of life-satisfaction across one of the world’s important nations.”


The places where people are most likely to report happiness also tend to rate high on studies comparing things like climate, crime rates, air quality and schools.

The happiness ratings were based on a survey of 1.3 million people across the country by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It used data collected over four years that included a question asking people how satisfied they are with their lives.

Ranking No. 1 in happiness was Louisiana, home of Dixieland music and Cajun/Creole cooking.

Oswald urged a bit of caution in that ranking, however, noting that part of the happiness survey occurred before Hurricane Katrina struck the state, and part of it took place later. Nevertheless, he said, “We have no explicit reason to think there is a problem” with the ranking.

Rounding out the happy five were Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee and Arizona.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?

I was born and raised in NY, and I have grown to absolutely loathe it. I think it is mainly because I have to deal with the hostile environment of Manhattan on a daily basis.

People tell me "you shouldn't hate NY, it's got everything." Tourists love it for all the attractions. But my daily living experience in NYC is not that of a tourist experiencing the "everything" of NY. I experience nightmare traffic, dirty, disgusting and extremely overcrowded subways, a ton of pollution and second-hand cigarette smoke (which I can avoid if I decide to get on a dirty disgusting and extremely overcrowded subway), one of the highest income and property taxes in the country, and the list goes on.

DH and I bought a house out of state and we are biding our time til we can leave for good.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?--article added at bottome

I love NY... but yeah i hate the property taxes.

So what did I end up doing? Bought a new house with much higher property taxes.

Does it also say NY is the dumbest state too?

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?--article added at bottome

Well with the fact that we have 10 months of winter, it doesn't surprise me.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?--article added at bottome

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?--article added at bottome

Posted by Tilde

Posted by NervousNell

Well with the fact that we have 10 months of winter, it doesn't surprise me.

really?

There were days in November where I didn't have to wear a jacket this year. . .

Message edited 12/18/2009 2:39:54 PM.

Re: Are you an un-happy New Yorker?--article added at bottome

Posted by NervousNell

Posted by Tilde

Posted by NervousNell

Well with the fact that we have 10 months of winter, it doesn't surprise me.

really?

There were days in November where I didn't have to wear a jacket this year. . .

I consider it winter when it's below 75 degrees.