New Study Ranks Most Optimistic Cities

Lymari Morales delivers the results, which recognizes the residents of Provo-Orem, Utah as "the most likely nationwide to say their city or area is getting better as a place to live (76%), while residents of Binghamton, N.Y., are the least likely to say this (27.8%)." Many of the most optimistic communities fall in the South and Midwest, while those heading the least optimistic list can largely be found in the Rust Belt.

The results, which were tracked by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, also show current community satisfaction, in which there was far less variance between the highest (Lancaster, PA at 94.7%) and lowest (Flint, MI at 70.2%) performers.

Interestingly, "among the 10 most optimistic metro areas, only a trio -- Provo-Orem, Raleigh-Cary, N.C., and Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa -- also make the top 10 in overall city satisfaction. That is to say, the most optimistic metro areas are not necessarily those where residents are currently among the most satisfied with their city or area as a place to live," notes Morales.