February 10, 2024
If you are looking to move to a city, you probably want to live in a happy one. The Institute for Quality of Life has got you covered.
The Institute recently released its list of 23 cities that are “most developed in terms of ensuring the happiness of its citizens.” Specifically, the Institute was looking for cities “committed [to] happiness cultivation and growth, where education, inclusive policies, economy, mobility, environmental protection, access to green areas or innovation are not only important components of the official policies created, but are also visible in the implemented solutions, tangible for the residents and have a direct impact on their quality of life.” You can see the list by clicking HERE.
The top 23 are listed alphabetically and include such unsurprising places as Brisbane, Sydney, Geneva and Helsinki, as well as three cities I’d never heard of (Vaughan, Canada, in the province of Ontario not far from Toronto and Jonkping and Eskiltuna, both in Sweden) and… New York City? Los Angeles? Washington, D.C.?
Your mileage may vary.
Fun fact: Wikipedia tells us that Eskiltuna’s history dates back to medieval times when an English monk by the name of Eskil made made “Tuna” his base and diocese. Eskil (later to become sainted) was stoned to death by pagan vikings from a neighboring town.