Roseville ranks among top 10 happiest U.S. cities in new survey
ROSEVILLE — The city of Roseville has something a little extra to be jolly about this holiday season as a new nationwide survey named the town one of the top-ten happiest places in the country.
The survey by Smart Asset has five of the top ten happiest U.S. cities in California with Roseville at number 7.
"It makes sense. This is a great place, a great community," said Mahsea Evans, a pastor in Roseville.
So what makes Roseville such a happy place? Researchers examined 13 different categories including life expectancy, crime rate, and cost of living.
"Roseville is special. It's unique. People are genuinely happy and nice," said Dominick Casey, Roseville city manager.
The study also looked at the economy and found more than 38% of Roseville residents earn $100,000 or more. Only 6% live below the poverty level.
So can money really buy happiness?
"Without a doubt, money is a good thing," Evans said.
The city is also rapidly growing, adding about 3,000 new people each year.
"I think people feel safe in Roseville, and when people are safe, they are happy," Casey said.
Casey said there are even more fun things to come like a new sports complex and other amenities.
"What we're looking at now is more entertainment. How can we add more entertainment to where we are," he said.
The city manager is aiming to rank even higher next time.
"We try to get better every year," Casey said.
Sacramento was ranked the 50th happiest place, and Birmingham, Alabama was named the least happy place.
