Irvine has been ranked as the third happiest city in the U.S., according to a recent study by WalletHub.
WalletHub, a personal finance website, reviewed 150 of the most populated cities across the country based on emotional and physical well-being, income and employment and community and environment, according to WalletHub.
Each of these factors had several subgroups, such as the weather, physical health rate, food security and job security.
Irvine’s placement as one of the top five cities with the lowest depression rates, one of the lowest obesity rates, and one of the lowest separation and divorce rates as ranked by WalletHub culminated in the city’s ranking as the third happiest city in the U.S.
“My first impression [of Irvine] way back when was one of suburban homogeneity. There is very little trash,” Latin teacher John Conant said.
Residents often credit Irvine’s ranking to the city’s diverse population and community atmosphere.
“As a community, we are extremely culturally diverse… there are all different kinds of people, and people seem to be respectful of each other’s backgrounds,” sophomore Anjali Srinivasan said. “We are an extremely diverse school and that reflects the city a lot.”
“I really believe that the Irvine schools have benefited my education,” freshman Claire Kim said. “Woodbridge has a mix of different cultures and Irvine as a whole has many different nationalities.”
Others have found the stressful and highly competitive academic environment at many Irvine schools to detract from the happiness of Irvine residents.
“The statistics probably reflect more governmental or sanitary factors instead of certain factors that make a city a happier place to live,” sophomore Emily Ward said.