We tied with UT, so that aint bad. Those Mormons are pretty fucking happy people.

I love where I live.

I couldn't be happier if I was surrounded by kind buds, married to the hottest wife ever, and lived on some of the most fruitful and beautiful land on Earth.

Oh wait.....I AM!

Dead fucking last. Must be a direct result of having been controlled at the State level by Democrats for the last 80 years. What other reason could there be?

Utah's a beautiful state, although not being Mormon would seem to leave one as an 'outsider' especially in cities like Provo. Maybe not so much other places. Hawaii might also be a little like that also depending on where you live.

Just looking at the ten happiest cities in America: 2010. I live in #10; Ventura, and it's a good place to live, but Oxnard! Ever been Oxnard...must be the drugs.

I've been to Oxnard a few times when it was still nice. Now it's full of gangs. Lived in Ventura too, foothills above Poli.

Hawaii's beautiful, and as the article says, nice vacation spot. But if you have the wanderlust like I do, it's miserable. On Oahu you can't drive more than 35 miles in one direction. I cherish the freedom to hop in my truck after a three week hitch, turn off the GPS and go! After three months in Hawaii, I had a bad case of cabin fever, which I had to endure another 15 months.

Otherwise, I can see why people love Hawaii so much. It's a tiny, but nice place

Waipi'o Valley, Big Island is paradise. Maui is incredible as is Kauai, and Oahu's North Shore is just stunning. If you go there and aren't moved you are one cold fish.

"But if you have the wanderlust like I do, it's miserable."
#6 | Posted by goatman at 2010-02-17 07:14 AM | Reply | Flag: Doesn't Know what a Fucking Boat is!

2,700 km = 1,500 Miles of "wander"!

I could be in a supermax prison but as long as I have the retort I'll be happy. If they don't have the retort in heaven I don't want to go.

I love were I live too (MI) unfortunately it's full of Liberals and Unions. If we culd clean up the place that would be great.

But if you have the wanderlust like I do, it's miserable."
#6 | Posted by goatman at 2010-02-17 07:14 AM | Reply | Flag: Doesn't Know what a Fucking Boat is!

2,700 km = 1,500 Miles of "wander"!

???

Even for someone who has never been on the open seas as you clearly haven't, it's amazing that you could be so stupid as to think that darting about on the open seas without landfall satisfies wanderlust.

Only the shill could be so clueless

darting about on the open seas without landfall satisfies wanderlust

It has been known to induce yacht-lust however.

Coincidentally 90% of Hawaiians have health care insurance due to the requirement that employers provide it for all employees who work 20 hours or more per week.

ever heard of Island fever? ... nice place to visit. take my chances on the mainland, bra !!!

Agree with some of the posters---nice place to visit but living there would feel confining and hopeless.

RE: Walmart paying $10.58/hour

You do realize that everything is more expensive in Hawaii right? Everything has to be shipped in since it is an island chain in the middle of a vast ocean like the Pacific.

"Darting about on the open seas without landfall satisfies wanderlust"

YEAH!

Tell that to the ancient Hawaiians and the Modern Circumnavigating Sailors

But anyway, you do know that the sea preceded the highway for the purpose of "wanderlust" -------- don't you?

I've visited Hawaii a couple of times (hiked Na Pali on Kauai and Waimanu on the Big Island as well as much of Oahu). I could see living there for at least a few years. I love being able to wear board shorts and flip flops everywhere. I also figured that living there I had just as easy if not better access to many of the places I'd like to visit in my life, like Asia and more of the U.S. west coast, as I'd have from here in IL.
I have a few friends that have made a nice life there, but others have definitely tried and could not handle it. Many complained about the stagnation of nothing ever really changing.

Everyone complains about the expense, but you need a much less extensive wardrobe and you don't have buy as much food to fatten up for the harsh winters (and you want to look good in your bathing suit) ;)

Tiny bubbles in the wine....

#17 | Posted by Redneckville at 2010-02-17 11:34 AM | Reply | Flag: absolutely clueless

#13 | Posted by danni

I don't buy the 90% number. Not even close. Maybe 70%?

I have been trying to figure out a way to take up residence in Hawaii for a couple years. Unfortunately I am not independently wealthy. I have been there multiple time and even looked into buying a business there. Many of the locals I had the opportunity to talk with laughed at the health care plan. Most I had the opportunity to meet were working 2 or 3 jobs because they can't get 20 hours anywhere. I grant you these were people who worked in primarily non-skilled positions. If you think about it, those are the same people with issues everywhere.

Don't get me wrong I met a lot of people with full time jobs in Hawaii. Mostly in government, military/military contract work or management though.

I can also see why many find it a wonderful place to live. I am afraid of the wander lust factor myself. When you get to know some real Hawaiians I wouldn't describe them as THE happiest people but very mellow. Happier then here for sure. Keep in mind the issues with Drug and alcohol abuse that plague the islands. People are happy until they aren't.

If you look at the metro scores top 3: Boulder, Honolulu and Holland-Grand Haven, Mich. I love all 3, they are my 3 of my top 4. The fourth would be the area between La Jolla and Carlsbad in CA. But the areas are beautiful, the people are generally very happy and there is a lot to do. I think the libs in Boulder and the dutch reformed around Holland/Grand Haven can be a bit much to take at times though.

So Danni an island paradise with virtually free health care for all...sounds like Cuba to you I suppose?
Ah to dream the dream. First the Akaka bill or as a wonky wannabe like you would call it (The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009 S1011/HR2314) then mandated health care followed by forcing any and all dissenters to relocate to the countryside to work in collective farms and forced labor projects, toward a goal of "restarting civilization"....To dream the impossible dream / To fight the unbeatable foe / To bear with unbearable sorrow / To run where the brave dare not goooooo ...

You do realize that everything is more expensive in Hawaii right? Everything has to be shipped in since it is an island chain in the middle of a vast ocean like the Pacific.

Considering that the vast majority of things we buy on the mainland sail past Hawaii on the way here from China, I've never quite understood the point you make.

Considering that the vast majority of things we buy on the mainland sail past Hawaii on the way here from China, I've never quite understood the point you make.

#24 | Posted by BobSF_94117

The prices are so low how do we do it!? Volume!, Volume!, Volume!

or try this...

"Prices so low, you won't believe your eyes! ... buy in volume and at such reduced prices, we can then pass these incredible ..."
etc.

Interesting. I live in the northern Bavarian countryside, idyllic and prosperous. But, I'm certain that if the people here were polled, their subjective "Life Evaluation" would put them down there in West Virginny territory.

#21 | Posted by goatman at 2010-02-17 12:01 PM | Reply | Flag: Thinks "Wander" consists of going to a different 7-11

#24 | Posted by BobSF_94117

These days I am with you on that. However it goes to the mainland and gets shipped back out more often then not. Not sure why it is so expensive though since one boat load of stuff is a lot more reasonable then several trucks driving it cross country.

It's ridiculously expensive to get a shipping carton to Hawaii when compared to other places.

But when you look at things like beef, chicken, pork, etc. It is shipped in. For example cattle raised on the island are shipped to the US for processing and then shipped back. No butchering allowed. I don't get that one... Maybe to discourage agriculture?

27 -- yes shill. We've got it. You are clueless. No need to keep dragging yourself down.

Hawaii's the most expensive place I've ever lived, and I've been everywhere.

I loved living there, but I went surfing 5x a week this time of year, and diving a good bit of the rest. But I sure was ready to leave. It is very, very small, and the traffic on H1 and H2 has to be seen to be believed.

#29 | Posted by goatman at 2010-02-17 03:05 PM | Reply | Flag: "Wanderlust "Requires a paved road with lines painted on it

"Wanderlust "Requires a paved road with lines painted on it

Not when I'm in the Jeep.

Still clueless after all these years. LOL

#30 | Posted by rightisright at 2010-02-17 03:21 PM | Reply | Flag: a Stupid Fake Plastic "republicans" that can't afford a Helicopter

So much for that portfolio I guess!

Didn't some other wingding like to say how rightyright could buy and sell us all (eberly I think)?

Oops!

I was in a helicopter crash. Don't like 'em.

I was in a helicopter crash. Don't like 'em.

I don't like helicopter crashes either and I've never been in one.

Seriously, glad you are OK. I think about that everytime I come to or leave the rig.

We have a lady on our rig whose diminuitive size saved her life. She was scheduled on the second flight off of a rig, but they had room for an extra 110 lbs on the first flight, so she got on it. Second flight crashed. All died.

I was in a training crash in the Army, in Hawaii. We spun out, and my knee was pinned behind the ammo box on impact. Spent nine months learning to walk again.

But I was surfing again at 6 weeks :) Nearly drowned at Waimea my first day back, when I got washed off my board. Never even made it into the channel.

I used to body surf at Waimea. Did you ever jump off the cliff at the falls? I would only do it after sufficient quantities of beer and kona bud

Went deep sea fishing once off of Kona...The Ono (In Hawaii, the wahoo is known as ono) were biting really well in close so we putted around near the shore for a couple of hours reeling in a few, then the captain asked if we where ready for the "billfish" we said of course and he said he was going to head for the deep water, so we settled back for a few hour cruise to the deep water as he moved the boat a few hundred yards and dropped the lines...the depth was 6000 feet.

Hawaii is an absolutely horrible place to live. The health care is terrible, there is liberals everywhere and the price of everything is astronomical. Don't believe anything anyone tells you. It's all tourist hype. The last thing you ever want to do is move to Hawaii. The bottom line is nobody wants you here. Especially the pubbies. All they do is whine and moan. Please stay away. You have better paradise in any inner city in the mainland.

Trust me,. Would I bullshit you?

I lived there for five years, and my oldest child was born there. Expense aside, I thought it was damn boring.

I love Cleveland Ohio!!!!! I love the fact that I have to run red lights so I don't get mugged by stopping. I love the great snowstorms and fishy lake smell. I love the attitude of the people of Cleveland towards one another's race and creeds. I love the crime and massive welfare spending. I love the trash on the streets and the losing Browns. I love the failing factories and rust belt. I love the great river catching fire in the 70's!

wow..... Maybe I would Love Hawaii!!!!! Woohooo!