When you think of New England, the words “relaxed” and “serene” don’t necessarily come to mind.
In fact, most Americans would describe a typical New Englander as somewhat rude and cold. Sports fans across the country probably think New Englanders are uptight and boastful, almost pretentious.
So it was a bit of a surprise when a new survey of America’s most laid-back cities found a Massachusetts city at the top. And then when a second Massachusetts city made the top ten, we were speechless.
Lawnstarter.com is a website that helps people schedule lawn mowing appointments, but somehow they’ve also ended up in surveys.
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Your latest question to America: How relaxed are you?
Yes, a lawn mowing company conducted a survey on relaxation in cities across the country, comparing 500 of the largest cities in the U.S. on eight stress-related categories.
Based on metrics such as housing affordability, average workday length, depression rates, and access to mental health services, they ranked their 500 cities from most to least relaxed, finding several truly stress-free cities in Massachusetts.
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In their top ten most relaxed US cities in 2024, Cambridge came in at number 6 and Newton was the least stressful city at number 1.
Other notable Massachusetts neighborhoods on the list included Somerville at number 32, Quincy at number 81, Boston at number 132, and Lowell at number 196.
Rhode Island had only one city in the top 200: Cranston ranked 188th.
The 30 most stressful cities in America
What stresses you out? Money? Traffic? Crime? Health? Work? While these factors are stressful enough on their own, combining and concentrating them all in one place creates a high-tension environment. WalletHub looked at these and other factors (see the #1 Most Stressful City link for the full methodology) to determine which city is in America’s pressure cooker. Let’s count down from 30 to the #1 most stressful city in the US.
Gallery credit: Scott Clow
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