The 2009 Well-being Index

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Gallup has released their 2009 index of American well-being. The map above shows roughly where the states ranked. The top three states were Hawaii, Utah, and Montana. The top three cities were Boulder, Colorado; Holland-Grand Haven, Michigan; and Honolulu.Here are some interesting observations from USA TODAY:

Nine of the 10 cities that fare best on "life evaluation," assessments of life now and expectations in five years, boast a major university, a big military installation or a state Capitol - institutions that presumably provide some insulation from recession.Overall, the top 10 cities include four in California, two in Utah and one each in Colorado and Hawaii. Of them, only the Holland, Mich., and Washington, D.C., metro areas are located in the Eastern or Central time zones.

There are lots of fun interactive tools for exploring the index at the Gallup site.