Why Florida Monopolizes America’s Saddest Cities

[FayeforCure]

Why Florida Monopolizes America’s Saddest Cities
"Frown Towns," as judged by Men's Health, dominate the Sunshine State.
By Tim Padgett | December 2, 2011 |
Fotosearch / Getty Images

It seems only yesterday Florida was considered the happiest place in America. A bounty of sun, no state income tax, 700 miles of beaches, Disney World and more new condominiums than speculators could flip. It’s no wonder that just five years ago, one thousand new residents arrived each day. But this week, Men’s Health magazine tells us the Sunshine State is arguably the saddest place in America.

Florida’s five largest cities landed among the magazine’s top 20 “Frown Towns” â€" and three of them, St. Petersburg (America’s saddest city, according to Men’s Health), Tampa (number four) and Miami (number eight) make the top 10. Jacksonville came in at number 13 and Orlando at number nineteen.

(MORE: Want Your City to Be Weird? Name It Portland)

So how did these Margaritaville metropolises get ranked with sad sacks like Detroit (number two) and Toledo (number 11)? Men’s Health is admittedly better known for ranking abdominal exercises and sex positions than population metrics. But the magazine says it collected such data as unemployment, suicide rates and household antidepressant use to determine that St. Petersburg (a city it notes once received a record 768 consecutive days of sunshine) is gloomier than rainy Seattle, which isn’t even among the top 50.

What Men’s Health doesn’t answer â€" it concedes its list “is more statistical than psychological” â€" is what’s causing all the Florida funk. For that, maybe it’s better to ask the tens of thousands of people who’ve been leaving the state in recent years. Florida actually saw a net population loss of 58,000 in 2009, the first for the state since World War II, and here’s what many of them have been telling us: the peninsula didn’t turn out to be the paradise they’d been promised. The ever-widening gap between what people earn in Florida, a state that continues to rely on low-wage industries like tourism, and what it costs to live there â€" there actually is a state income tax in Florida, and it’s called homeowner’s insurance â€" is just one factor clouding the sunshine. Being able to wear flip-flops in January just doesn’t seem to offset lousy government, nonexistent public transit and underachieving schools anymore.

But according to Men’s Health, Florida isn’t alone when it comes to dashed Sunbelt dreams. Nevada has two cities in the saddest 10 (Reno and Las Vegas) and California has two (Bakersfield and Sacramento) in the top 20. And lest you think nice weather does not a cheerful city make, consider the happiest town on the Men’s Health list: Honolulu.



Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/12/02/why-florida-monopolizes-americas-saddest-cities/#ixzz1fQM05Ymo

Republican rule at its best!!!

Do we want more of the same?

[FayeforCure]

Well, since this one didn't get a response in my absence, I will ask:

Are we finally willing to concede that Republican rule in Florida is disastrous for the Public Good?

Are we finally WILLING to change our individual voting habits to take into account the abysmal record on Public Goods that Republicans keep throwing in our collective faces?

Oh, sure..........we'll see some anecdotal experience with a handful of Republican leaders that actually DID support Public Transportation as the Public Good that it is (tufsu1)..............but by far Republicans, as a group, will look down on Public Transportation and no amount of convincing will make these "leaders" leave their "group think" to make meaningful change.

At least Dems are by and large unabashedly pro-the public good, and do not insist on corporate wellfare to provide a public good for us.

[north miami]

 bumper sticker: F----- Up? Moving to Florida will not help you!

What is it that would have anyone assume geographic locatation,no matter how socially constructed as "Idyllic",trumps human condition??
No wonder the world glares at Florida.

Upon moving from evil Miami to the relative wilds of NE Florida ones learns right quick that supposed bucolic settings can harbor sad scenes.We cling to our neighborhood Nodes,surrounded,free travel limited,adhering to our core daily habitat as if an endangered species,alert to further intrusion.
Shoot,I have property in Putnam county impossible to sell thanks to the veil of community malaise.......


Way back when,Governor Martinez reign,an era of "inevitable growth" and breathless reference to (xxxxxxxxxx) "newcomers" per week,I tracked community response to the then proposed Jacksonville/Tampa Toll Road (since whacked back to First Coast Beltway).

The proposed Toll routes were as if a snake wiggling across the Florida landscape,including a not so Tampa wiggle over yonder Palatka way.........

I found that in certain areas, unanticipated growth impacts had already taken a toll,the Toll Road a final nudge for a handful of families that were throwing in the Florida Towel.Quality residents we could  not afford to loose,but few at the time recognized the subtle shift.

Some Western states have experienced similar kick back.Certain regions beckon in a way that pose as The Promised Better Place to those so in need of,hope for Better.
Many Interior West Newcomers in fact have little understanding of the region.

Any region held hostage to the Chamber of Commerce inevitable growth drumbeat is certain to deflect-after all,the most important resident is The Next One.....not you.

Of course we in NE Florida sell ourselves against the acknowledged evil Bad Florida.
Tracking out migration throughout Florida is telling,predictave capability.I bet there are trends here in Duval county as obscure as those during the Martinez era......

[danem]

So the solution to all of Florida's problems is to put Democrats in charge? That's what I'm getting from this, thus why I didn't engage in this thread to begin with. Obviously there's nothing else to talk about except "Republicans suck, vote Democrat". That'll do the trick.

[simms3]

^^^lol.

[acme54321]

^^^ DUH

[Gonzo]

Are we finally willing to concede that Republican rule in Florida is disastrous for the Public Good?

In a word, no. Please expand your reason for saying that Republicans are anti-public good. Is this to say that social programs are the way to go? Are you intimating that more entitlements will help our cities, our state, our country? Do you think that the government knows what to do with our money better than we do? Do you think that for every dollar we earn we should give back a percentage to pay for dead beats who refuse to work, crack-heads who use social programs to feed their habits, and indigents that usurp our resources with no concern for the rest of society?

Are we finally WILLING to change our individual voting habits to take into account the abysmal record on Public Goods that Republicans keep throwing in our collective faces?

Again, I ask you to clarify. To what, exactly do you refer? Is it wrong to want a balanced budget? Let's put things into perspective: If you or I write a check for $100 and we KNOW that we only have $75 in the bank, we are guilty of a crime. When a government funds programs with full knowledge that there is no money in the coffers to pay for it, isn't that the same thing? Why is this OK when I could go to jail for the same behavior?

Public transport is an important issue. I fully support an expansion of transport, but not at the cost of an unbalanced budget. I support feeding, housing, and caring for the people who truly have no prospect of employment -- but, only for a limited amount of time. I support affordable medical care, but not at the mandate of the government -- the last thing I want is for the government to be involved in decisions I make regarding my health (Soylent Green, anyone?).

Oh, sure..........we'll see some anecdotal experience with a handful of Republican leaders that actually DID support Public Transportation as the Public Good that it is (tufsu1)..............but by far Republicans, as a group, will look down on Public Transportation and no amount of convincing will make these "leaders" leave their "group think" to make meaningful change.

Again, as a Republican, I support public transportation. I have seen firsthand the good it can do. But, how to you propose it be funded? Our city is already strapped for cash and laying off essential services workers. And, may I point out, at the hands of a Democratic mayor. During the worst recession in 80 years these kinds of projects are just not feasible. Capital outlay would bankrupt the proponent communities before the long-term benefits could offset them.

Is this the kind of logical thinking you refer to as "group think?" If so, I'm glad there are people who have the common sense to understand that. I'm not talking about the past here, I'm talking about the now.

At least Dems are by and large unabashedly pro-the public good, and do not insist on corporate wellfare to provide a public good for us.

Corporate welfare? You mean the corporations that pump millions into the economy, provide jobs, pay wages, provide health care opportunities, support charities like the United Way, and are otherwise civic-minded?

I would like to hear about the "unabashedly pro-the public good" Democratic mindset you speak of. Again I ask, do you refer to social programs? What's mine is yours?

Please, educate me...

[Dashing Dan]

What we all really need is another Republican like Theodore Roosevelt, i.e. someone who would be willing to invest in conservation and parks, and to take on Wall Street at the same time.

[Overstreet]

Anecdotal statistics……………rhetoric……… would describe the majority of lists found in Men’s Health.

Personally my sadness comes from the death of two wives not where I live.   

[copperfiend]

What we all really need is another Republican like Theodore Roosevelt, i.e. someone who would be willing to invest in conservation and parks, and to take on Wall Street at the same time.

Let me know when you find a Republican like him that still exists.

[FayeforCure]

What we all really need is another Republican like Theodore Roosevelt, i.e. someone who would be willing to invest in conservation and parks, and to take on Wall Street at the same time.

So while we are waiting for a Republican like Theodore Roosevelt, we should continue to vote for the bozos like Rick Scott that occupy the Republican Party today.

Yup that makes total sense 

I just hope the destruction isn't irreversable then.

Gonzo, it wasn't the social programs that destroyed our economy. How much more proof do you need than to look at Germany and Sweden that continue to prosper.

But it is the "what's mine is yours" paranoia, that keeps Republicans soooo tight fisted that meaningful investment in infrastructure has been virtually non-existent in the past few decades.

THAT is what makes America lag behind more and more. Oh, and that never-ending coddling of the military-industrial complex that is sucking the life-blood out of any meaningful domestic programs that would be reminiscent of a civilized society.

[simms3]

Good post Gonzo!  I'm still trying to figure out how the stupid Men's Health Magazine (old) survey is related to politics in the first place.  Besides, plenty of blue cities made the list, and Florida's bluest cities ranked as more sad than FL's reddest cities.  Explain that?  It still has nothing to do with politics.  It has all to do with people's "hopes and dreams" in the FL housing boom coming to a grand crash.  It has to do with the constant heat and humidity (which has been proven to elevate tempers).  It has to do with a constant inflow of people from all over, a bulldozing of what people moved to FL for in the first place, hoards of tourists all year long, crazy drivers, rude people, no sense of place or belonging, and the transient culture that defines much of the state.  A lack of general education, history, seasons, and culture does not help.

None of this is red-state, blue-state, but rather unique problems that ebb and flow and come to define regions over time.  Florida is a very dynamic state and next year's list may prove that it is actually the country's happiest state.  Who knows?  They're all stupid lists anyway!

[FayeforCure]

I'm still trying to figure out how the stupid Men's Health Magazine (old) survey is related to politics in the first place.  Besides, plenty of blue cities made the list, and Florida's bluest cities ranked as more sad than FL's reddest cities.  Explain that?  It still has nothing to do with politics.  It has all to do with people's "hopes and dreams" in the FL housing boom coming to a grand crash.  It has to do with the constant heat and humidity (which has been proven to elevate tempers).  It has to do with a constant inflow of people from all over, a bulldozing of what people moved to FL for in the first place, hoards of tourists all year long, crazy drivers, rude people, no sense of place or belonging, and the transient culture that defines much of the state.  A lack of general education, history, seasons, and culture does not help.

All that AND as Men's Magazine says:

Being able to wear flip-flops in January just doesn’t seem to offset lousy government, nonexistent public transit and underachieving schools anymore.

2/3 of the legislature has been Republican for the past decade, while more than 50% of voters are registered Dems.

[Dashing Dan]

What we all really need is another Republican like Theodore Roosevelt, i.e. someone who would be willing to invest in conservation and parks, and to take on Wall Street at the same time.

Let me know when you find a Republican like him that still exists.

There used to be a lot more overlap between the two parties.  We need to get that back.

That's what I'm really getting at here. 

Some Democrats seem willing to move to the right, so what we REALLY need now is a few Republicans who are willing to move to the left.

[BridgeTroll]

I'm still trying to figure out how the stupid Men's Health Magazine (old) survey is related to politics in the first place.  Besides, plenty of blue cities made the list, and Florida's bluest cities ranked as more sad than FL's reddest cities.  Explain that?  It still has nothing to do with politics.  It has all to do with people's "hopes and dreams" in the FL housing boom coming to a grand crash.  It has to do with the constant heat and humidity (which has been proven to elevate tempers).  It has to do with a constant inflow of people from all over, a bulldozing of what people moved to FL for in the first place, hoards of tourists all year long, crazy drivers, rude people, no sense of place or belonging, and the transient culture that defines much of the state.  A lack of general education, history, seasons, and culture does not help.

All that AND as Men's Magazine says:

Being able to wear flip-flops in January just doesn’t seem to offset lousy government, nonexistent public transit and underachieving schools anymore.

2/3 of the legislature has been Republican for the past decade, while more than 50% of voters are registered Dems.

I'm just really glad Faye is such an avid reader of Mens Health magazine.  Next I suppose your gonna tell me you only read the articles...