Sure you have heard things such as “decrease your morning commute and increase your health” or “lower your stress and live a longer happier life” these are things along with the occasional gym session that can give you a better quality of life. But what about where you live?!
It seems crazy but where you live correlates back to level of stress relief and level of happiness. There is a recent study that indicates that if you live in a prosperous location with good financial standing, sense of purpose, and community that can play a big role in all your happiness. Taking all of this into account the Gallup’s annual Well-being Index ranked the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metropolitan area as the location with the highest well-being in the United States. Gallup conducted 176,000 interviews with residents of ALL 50 states on topics including physical health, financial stability, community activity, and supportive relationships.
Sarasota, Florida is known for its incredible beaches and some of the best sunsets you have ever seen. The city has a population of around 53,000 people and a land area of 26 square miles with about 40% of that being shoreline and water. The economy is nothing but thriving with an unemployment rate of 5% which is almost 1.5% lower than the rest of the US along with recent job growth of 5% compared to the US overall at 1.1%. Of course Florida doesn’t have an income tax and the household average income is right at $41K which seems low but isn’t that a good thing when you don’t have to make a ton of money to get by? When things are affordable for the working class including homes and overall cost of living I see this as a huge plus.
There are all kinds of jobs available here from all different disciplines with the highest percentage being “Sales, office, administration support” at 25% followed by “Management, business and finance” at 13%. Of course there is a niche for anything from engineering to education and food prep and serving. This area like the rest of the US was hit by the recession and home prices that were drastically “adjusted” which may have drove a lot of the super wealthy to other places which just makes it even more affordable.
So the location is affordable, heavily visited by tourists, which helps maintain the great economy and has a ton of things to do on the weekends. Also, Siesta Key Beach (in Sarasota) has been rated the number ONE beach in the NATION several times by many different people. The sand is described as white powder like sugar, super soft and super fine. They have a multitude of intercostal waterways, land or pier fishing spots that can be tapped anytime. Another huge plus that many people don’t know is that Florida is actually the number one state with the most golf course in the US at 1,261 and over 30 of them are in Sarasota alone!
Taking all this information into account it is no wonder why Sarasota, Florida was ranked as the city with the highest level of well-being in the United States. If you are thinking about moving to Sarasota or another great area in Florida make sure you use the tools on MoversAtlas.com to research your new potential neighborhood and community.