We’ve all heard (thanks to Oprah Winfrey) that San Luis Obispo, Calif. is the happiest place in America. But, really, why is that? Is there something in the water that makes every resident feel a bit more contented than residents of other towns? Is it the way we treat each other? Is it the fact that we are surrounded by open spaces? Maybe. Here are a few reasons why we think San Luis Obispo is the happiest place in America.
- Not only are San Luis Obispo residents kind and generous, we are also empowered to have a say in how the city grows. A recent example of this was the defeat of Measure H, a dead-end measure that sought to stifle the city’s growth by preventing the long-planned extension of Prado Road to Broad Street in the southern region of the city. Youth sports advocates, environmentalists, neighborhood activists and business interest supporters rallied to fight against the measure, which saw an 80 percent/20 percent defeat on Election Day 2010. This isn’t the first time residents have come together to ensure that our city is exactly what we want it to be, and it certainly won’t be the last.
- San Luis Obispo is business-friendly and doesn’t compromise its excellent quality of life. Several well-known businesses, including Jamba Juice and Kinkos, started in this small town, and San Luis Obispo was cited in 2008 as one of the 100 Best Places to Live and Launch a Business by “Fortune Small Business” magazine. It’s true that new successful businesses are always sprouting up here. But even with economic prosperity, one constant remains: SLO’s unique quality of life. We ardently protect our clean air and water, beautiful and accessible natural landscapes, excellent schools, first-class health care and diverse cultural and recreational opportunities, along with personal safety and a true sense of community.
- San Luis Obispo is happily active. It’s difficult to live in a community surrounded by rolling hills, lakes and oceans and not partake in the countless activities that keep you fit and healthy. San Luis Obispo was even recently cited as one of the most active cities in the nation. Many residents bike and walk to work every day, and even new office buildings are required to have bike lockers and showers so people can clean up before work. We’re very lucky that the city makes an effort to provide good sidewalks and bike lanes and takes steps to decrease and slow car traffic, which, research shows, ultimately increases activity levels. And there are more than 6,500 acres of protected open space for hiking, biking and yearlong outdoor activities.
- San Luis Obispo supports the arts. Residents love their art – from performance art to the visual arts. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo, a state-of-the-art performance facility that exposes the Central Coast to varied, high quality arts events designed to serve diverse audience interests. San Luis Obispo is also home of the annual San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, an event that brings together filmmakers, festival-goers and celebrities from around the world. Even the utility boxes in downtown San Luis Obispo are beautiful. The city and the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association worked together to create The Box Art project. The funds for the project were used to pay 13 local artists to paint 16 utility boxes in the downtown region – and what amazing works of art they are!
- San Luis Obispo weather is as pleasant as it gets. San Luis Obispo County has one of the world’s most comfortable climates. The weather is perfect 306 days of the year. While more than half of the country is trekking through snow, ice, sleet and rain this time of year, we’re enjoying perfect 75 degree weather without a cloud in the sky. Sure, it rains here, and we have our moments of unpleasant weather, but for most of the year, we enjoy beautiful sunny skies and a moderate climate. The summers here are delightfully mild, with daytime highs usually in the low 80s, and cool evenings. Winters are even better with daytime highs in the 60s and 70s, and crisp, clear nights. Frost is rare, snow almost unheard of. (A dusting of snow always makes the front page of the local paper.) This perfect weather allows us to be more social and active when residents of other cities in the nation are holed up inside.
Watch The Oprah Winfrey Show today to find out more about what makes San Luis Obispo the happiest city in America.
Lindsey Miller
lindseyinslo
I was watching The Oprah show today and saw this beautiful peaceful town. And said to myself I would pack everything I have and move there if I could. It looks like the place I really need to be right now. I’m 56 year old female and have RA, and live here in Cohoes,NY. I am soo tired of NY! I have lived in NY all my life and never been out of this State. For one I can’t afford it,and two all my children and grandchildren live here. But I would love to come and visit one day.
4N0gih Very true! Makes a cahgne to see someone spell it out like that.
Just saw Oprah, and we will talk about moving over there. We are a young couple with our first baby born in last December. We live in Utah and we are tired all ready of snow and cold.
I too saw Oprah’s show yesterday. I happened to be home sick in Atlanta. Thirty years ago I went to college in Los Angeles and although I knew about SanLuis O, I never visited. Yesterday I thought how glorious it looks. It seemed so perfect and happy!
I was watching Oprah yesterday, and thinking that I would love to find the perfect
city to move to. I am retired, and live in upstate New York. I am so tired of the
cold, snow and ice. I became very interested in your community and would love
to visit, and maybe re-locate.
I can’t wait to visit SLO. I too learnt of SLO from Oprah. Coiecidently I was looking for a destination to travel to that was quaint, not well known….oh my though, now that you have been discovered on Oprah I sure hope it does not change this! I look forward to the hiking, walking and biking trails. The unique shops, the wineries, restaurants, Art and everything else offered by this new found destination.
Would like info on the cost of living in SLO. Average cost of 3 Bdrm rental
For years I have been saying that if I were an activist, my cause would be the eradication of urban sprawl. It is wonderful that SLO exists, but it is a travesty that there are not more places like it. Why do so many new cookie-cutter subdivisons continue to sprout up across the country, subdivisions that do not factor in the importance of its residents’ quality of life? And why do residents continue to put up with it?
My father, his wife and two children recently moved from Milwaukee, WI to Phoenix, AZ. Warmer weather and more sunshine? Sure. But that’s the ONLY improvement they’ve experienced (aside from lower property taxes). They left an urban area where they could all walk to the library, the bookstore, grocery stores, parks, the playground, and friends’ houses. If they needed to go to a mall or something like that, there were plenty of buses in walking distance. Now they live in a development where there is a very small nearby playground and the rest is all houses. It’s so depressing. The kids are totally dependent on their parents to drive them anywhere worthwhile. There are no bike lanes and so much traffic that my 15-year-old sister can’t even bike to the library or school. And when you do get in the car to drive somewhere, you’re surrounded by big chains and corporate America: Walmart, Target, Home Depot, McDonald’s, giant malls with more of the same. There are no nearby independently owned, quaint mom-and-pop shops. No little cafes, no walking along charming sidewalks, no history or soul. When you do find outdoor sitting at a restaurant, guess what that outdoor seating overlooks? A parking lot and a busy street. My boyfriend and I are looking at relocating to Alphraetta, GA for work and it’s depressingly more of the same: traffic jams, strip malls, and subdivisions that don’t allow you to walk anywhere but in circles. I don’t know why Americans are not taking a stand and a position in the development of their own cities and towns. The developers and government MUST be in the pockets of corporate America–why else do the zoning laws prevent someone from opening a charming bed and breakfast in Alpharetta, GA? Why is the pedestrian not kept in mind when building these places?
I would like to have a family with a house and yard and garden. I wouldn’t mind staying in NYC because it offers so much in the way of quality of life: arts, theater, restaurants, cafes, biking paths, parks, diversity, etc., but housing is extraordinarily expensive here. I am willing to relocate–could even embrace it–but how I do wish the rest of the country (and I know there are cities that do) offered more in the way of quality of life for its residents. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and WALK to a nearby cafe, read the paper and socialize with others. I want to be able to WALK to running paths and at least a small grocery store (which would do well because lots of other residents would also patronize it). These things should not be out of reach.
Good job, SLO! I hope Oprah’s show inspires our cities/towns and their residents to follow suit! As they said, the NUMBER ONE factor for determining how happy you are is WHERE YOU LIVE.
The reason that most cities in America have so much urban sprawl, congestion and bland generic sameness is because, sadly, most people like it. Most people where I live send up a cheer whenever an old historical building is torn out, and would much rather patronize Wal-Mart than a mom and pop store. There are lots of mom and pops where I live, but no one shops there. Yet there are 4 walmarts, all packed, with another coming in. These people hate any old buildings with a sense of history and love seeing them torn out to be replaced by “the latest thing.” I’m a realtor and everyone WANTS tract homes, not quaint, individaul houses. It reminds me of the episode of Andy Griffith where Hollywood comes to town to make a movie and everyone thinks it would be awesome to make Mayberry look just like Hollywood and cut down the oldest tree in town. Make it all the same and destroy whatever makes it unique. People like what is familiar…my friend is a truck driver and loves that he can go to any city in America and experience that comfortable sameness of strip malls and megastores. We took him to SLO once and he hated it. His mentality, sadly, kinda sums up the mentality of most Americans. We took him to Cambria, a quaint little town up North of SLO and he said “Where’s the movie theatre and Wal Mart? This whoe place sucks!” For most people like him they are happy in any average city, for those that appreciate a slower pace and some individuality, we are so happy for the few places like SLO. I’m hoping to relocate there really soon!
I was one of the lucky people who grew up in SLO-town as th e locals have always called it! I went to school at Sinsheimer, the only middle and high school in town (actually the middle school used to be above the high school where my dad taught) and even Cal Poly, or rather “Cow Pie Tech” as I used to affectionately call the town! After living in San Luis Obispo for so many years I decided to move to Virginia, and I live in the country and love experiencing seasons. I must admit, this last winter has given me a bit of cabin fever! The great thing about growing up in SLO is seeing it improve. When my family first moved to SLO in the 1960′s, there were washing machines thrown in the creek and all kinds of garbage. The mayor, Kenneth Schwartz, also an architect professor at Cal Poly had the fore site to build the Mission Plaza area. From there over the years the town has grown up a bit, but it still has the charm it always had! I remember the little China Town area that is on Monterey Street. Across from the Ah Louis store was a candy shop owned by Mr. Chung, I believe. Years ago I used to go in the candy shop with my grandmother. Mr. Chung had all kinds of large glass candy jars and made all of the candy himself. (Speaking of China town, there are actual buildings from the turn of the century that were moved from the San Luis area to the Loomis Ranch; I think that was the name of the ranch). I remember seeing an authentic Chinese Laundry with the original tape over a garment reading “No Tickie, No Takie”. There was also a fire station, a photography studio and many other interesting buildings. I am sure those buildings still exist because people really care about preserving the past.
Well, I am returning to SLO this spring and just visited for Christmas. If anyone would like to comment, it would be fun to hear from you! In fact, my mother used to work for Century 21 in San Luis Obispo and she even won a contest once naming the subdivision in the Laguna Lake area known as “Windemere”.