Read more: Local, State, Happy, State, Country, Study, Finds, Quality, Life
South Carolina is famously known for its smiling faces and beautiful places but with record high unemployment and an unfaithful governor, you would think some resident’s spirits would be broken.
But that’s not the case, at least according to a new study ranking South Carolina one of the happiest state’s in the country. In fact- the palmetto state finds itself at number eight on the list.
Chip Prezioso is happy that South Carolina ranked so high because his business depends on it.
"I was born in South Carolina, I love South Carolina," said Prezioso.
Prezioso owns the South Carolina Shop on Columbia’s Rosewood Drive. In 1987 he had the vision and foresight to trademark the state’s famous palmetto tree emblem and business has been booming ever since.
Prezioso says his high sales reflect the pride people feel about this state. And although he feels making the top ten is great, he thinks South Carolina’s happiness ranking could be better.
"I thought we might have been higher than that but ill settle for 8th," said Prezioso, “We’ve got the ocean and the mountains and a lot of history.”
The study found a close connection between how happy people say they are and their state’s quality of life.
"We've certainly got some problems, but we've got a lot of natural resources, and if you think that South Carolina is a bad place to live let me take you to a few places that I’ve been," said Prezioso.
And as long as customers are happy to sport South Carolina gear, Chip Prezioso is happy to supply it for them.
(AP) - The happiness ratings were based on a survey of 1.3 million people across the country by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It used data collected over four years that included a question asking people how satisfied they are with their lives.
Economists Andrew J. Oswald of the University of Warwick in England and Stephen Wu of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., compared the happiness ranking with studies that rated states on a variety of criteria ranging from availability of public land to commuting time to local taxes.
The Top Ten:
1. Louisiana
2. Hawaii
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. Arizona
6. Mississippi
7. Montana
8. South Carolina
9. Alabama
10. Maine
