By Andrea Cordle
Southwest Editor
Residents in Grove City have something to be happy about – though that seems to be the norm.
Grove City was ranked as one of the 15 happiest cities in the state of Ohio. The study was performed by Credit Donkey, a credit card comparison and financial education website.
According to the report, Grove City was number eight out of the 15.
The study limited its focus to Ohio cities with a population of at least 20,000. The data is based on U.S. Census Bureau and FBI Uniform Crime Reports. The rankings were calculated to include crime rates, commute time, income, housing, divorce rates and restaurants.
This ranking comes as no surprise to Grove City born and raised Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage.
“I have felt this for many years,” said Stage. “You go out to city events and see nothing but happy, smiling faces.”
According to the Credit Donkey report, the odds of being a victim of violent crime in Grove City is one in 974. The median household income is $65,000 and the average commute time is 21 minutes. The percentage of divorce is 7.9 percent for males and 14.8 percent for females.
There is one restaurant in the city per 368 inhabitants.
The study says all these factors attribute to happiness. Living in a low crime area can help ones peace of mind and sharing a meal with family and friends can boost the mood.
The study says, “Nearly 37,000 people reside here and feel good about the safe neighborhoods and their healthy median incomes. Getting to work each day isn’t a trial.”
The study mentioned the Garden Cafe on Broadway as a cool, local hangout and said the Gardens at Gantz Park is a unique city feature that draws in roughly 10,000 visitors each year.
“We have managed this city as a neighborhood,” said Stage. “People feel good about being part of Grove City.”
Beavercreek, Westerville, Upper Arlington, Dublin, Perrysburg, Oregon and Troy ranked above Grove City respectively.
To view the full report, visit www.creditdonkey.com/happy-ohio.html.
