Single City Dwellers Are Often Happier, Healthier

Cities' best qualities can't be quantified: Will Doig

(NEWSER) - Captivated by a list of America’s most romantic cities ? How about its dirtiest , or smartest ? Such lists may be "click-bait," but there’s not much truth to them, writes Will Doig in Salon . How, for example, can Memphis be both the sixth-happiest place to work in ... and third-saddest city to live in? The fact is, "you simply can’t quantify happiness," says an expert—and judging a place by things that are quantifiable (in the case of Memphis' latter honor, the suicide and unemployment rates, and antidepressant use) misses the part that really does affect us: the "essence" of a city. More»

Voters pick US's grimiest places to vacation

(NEWSER) - Turns out the Big Easy might just as easily be the Big Sloppy: New Orleans has topped the list of the 20 dirtiest cities in America, as determined in a recent poll by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Trash, graffiti, quality of tap water, and pollution were all taken into consideration. Without further ado:

1. New Orleans: Voters weren't cutting Nawlins any slack for cleanup after Mardi Gras—or catastrophic weather events in the past decade...

Head to Beantown, Portland, San Francisco...

(USER SUBMITTED) - For those looking to raise their kids in the safest possible urban environment, the Sun Belt may not be the place. Underwriters Labs has published a list of the 10 safest cities in the US for parents with children, and it's an eclectic one that includes both New York City and Louisville, Ky., along with both coasts (Boston, Virginia Beach, San Francisco, Portland) and the Midwest (Minneapolis, Columbus). But only one Sun Belt City made the cut: Tampa. More»

High-ranking literate cities safer, better for singles

(NEWSER) - The most literate cities tend to be safer, healthier, and have thriving singles' scenes, according to Central Connecticut State University's annual ranking of American cities. Seattle topped the list again this year, which was cross-indexed with statistics and other surveys for the first time. Washington, DC, came in second, knocking Minneapolis into third place, USA Today reports. More»

Census shows 50.3% live alone

(NEWSER) - Depending on your point of view, New York is either a very lonely city or a great place to get laid. The number of singles in the Big Apple, already at a historic high, keeps rising, according to new Census data. In Manhattan, a whopping 50.3% of people live alone. Studios and one-bedrooms "are far and way the most popular apartments we rent," a real estate broker tells the New York Post , which compares the borough to a "Sex and the City fantasyland." More»