Quality of Life

A new report takes a unique look at quality-of-life issues in the Golden State, measuring social well-being using health, education and income factors. The study concludes that the state is divided into 5 areas with different ecologies.

A new poll of California residents finds that perceived quality of life in the state has dropped.

Will digital communications make cities obsolete, or can online connections actually complement the face-to-face interactions and the cities that support them?

A new study ranks the U.S. states by residents' happiness. From Louisiana (#1) to New York (#51), the happiest people tend to live in sunny, outdoorsy states with strong quality of life measures.

In terms of global urban livability, American cities are not so hot. The highest ranking city, Honolulu, comes in at 29 in the results of the Worldwide Quality of Living Survey.

Though typically centered in bigger cities, this piece from Business Week looks at the best small cities to locate startup businesses in every state.

The arrival of a town's new Wal-Mart is notorious for being detrimental to the community. But when it comes to social capital, obesity, leisure time, and social and political values, Wal-Mart might not be so bad after all, according to one study.

By looking at city data and quality-of-life measures, Forbes has created a list of the most stressful cities in the U.S. Chicago, Detroit and New York rank the highest.