Community Corner

Troy One of Michigan's Happiest Cities

Marital bliss, safety and more sunny days than on the Upper Peninsula make Troy residents downright giddy.

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Beth Dalbey, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
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TROY, MI - Folks are positively giddy in Troy, one of the 10 Happiest Cities in Michigan.

In fact, Troy ranked third in an analysis compiled by Homesnacks.net. Only East Grand Rapids and Allen Park are happier.

Overall, Americans aren’t that happy, according to an October 2015 Harris Poll, that found only a third of Americans say they’re “very happy.”

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So, what makes Troy, population 80,990, so happy?

Marital bliss.

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Troy has the fourth highest number of married people in the 101 cities analyzed.

“If you think married people are happier than divorced (or people living alone), you’d be right,” Homesnacks said. “And here in Troy, two-thirds of people have a spouse at home to help them with life problems, rub their feet and nag them to do the dishes.”

Troy also has the sixth-lowest crime rate in the state.

“When you have peace of mind and can let your guard down to relax, that’s some real joy right there,” Homesnacks noted. “Other factors that make Troy a happy place are high incomes and a lot more sunny days than folks on the coast or up in the UP, ‘eh.”

The Happiest Cities In Michigan are:

  1. East Grand Rapids
  2. Allen Park
  3. Troy
  4. Beverly Hills
  5. Livonia
  6. Forest Hills
  7. Rochester Hills
  8. Holt
  9. Berkley
  10. Midland

For the record, the five most miserable large cities in Michigan are Pontiac, Inkster Flint, Beecher and Highland Park.

Also on the list were No. 11 Birmingham, No. 16 Novi, No. 17 Royal Oak, No. 18 Dearborn, No. 22 New Baltimore, No 25 Grosse Pointe Park, No. 27 Dearborn Heights, No. 30 Trenton, No. 32 Clawson, No. 35 Rochester, No. 55 Ferndale, and No. 63 Fenton.

Homesnacks used FBI crime statistics, Census Bureau data, Bureau of Labor Statistics data, as well as information from Sperling’s Best Places and geo-located tweets using the hashtag #happy to determine

  • Percentage of residents with a college degree
  • Average commute times
  • Employment rates
  • Cost of living
  • Crime
  • Sunny days
  • Percent of married couples
  • Percent of homeowners

» Photo via Wikipedia

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