Metro Areas In Virginia, DC Ranked Happiest In America

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The nation's capital may be a city of fierce political showdowns, but that's not enough to keep a city down. Together DC-Arlington-Alexandria make up one of National Geographic's "Happiest Cities in the United States."

Author Dan Buettner searched the U.S. for the happiest people, interviewing nearby 250,000 adults in 190 metropolitan areas. They were asked a variety of 16 questions that can define happiness, from health eating to civic engagement, and financial security.

Boulder, Color. claimed the top spot thanks to its clean mountain air, environmentally friendly-area and healthy lifestyles. (SIGN UP: Subscribe to a Virginia Patch News Alert and Newsletter. For DC readers, Get Patch’s daily newsletter and news alerts. Or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The DC metropolitan area ranks 21st. The author explains, "Most think of Washington, D.C., as the capital of the free world, but to locals, it’s simply a great place to live. Aside from free museums and lots of green space, the city has enjoyed a booming food scene in recent years."

Notable missing from the list were DC's metropolitan neighbors of Hampton Roads, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. But DC's neighbor to the south did even better in the ranking. Charlottesville ranked third for its outdoor activities and being home to the University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

The top 25 are as follows:

1. Boulder, Color.
2. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif.
3. Charlottesville, Va.
4. Fort Collins, Color.
5. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, Calif.
6. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.
7. Provo-Orem, Utah
8. Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn.
9. Barnstable Town, Mass.
10. Anchorage, Ala.
11. Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Fla.
12. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, Calif.
13. Salinas, Calif.
14. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
15. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
16. Ann Arbor, Mich.
17. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif.
18. Colorado Springs, Color.
19. Manchester-Nashua, N.H.
20. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif.
21. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W.Va.
22. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis.
23. San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif.
24. Portland-South Portland, Maine
25. Austin-Round Rock, Texas

See the full details on the rankings here.

Image via K. Summerer/Visit Alexandria