Would you really like to live there? America's saddest cities revealed... and three of them are in the Sunshine State

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 2:10 AM on 2nd December 2011

It might be bathed in glorious sunshine throughout the year - but new research has revealed the Floridian city of St Petersburg is the saddest place to live in the U.S.
Having a Guinness World Record for 768 straight days of sunshine did nothing for the state's fourth largest city - deemed to be a hotbed for suicides and anti-depressant pill poppers.
The unemployment hotspot of Detroit, Michigan, unsurprisingly followed close behind, with third place in the 'Frown Town' stakes going to Memphis, Tennessee.
Scroll down for table...

Surprising: St Petersburg in Florida (Top) may be blessed with beautiful beaches but it apparently a sadder place to live than rundown Detroit (Bottom)

Depressing: Memphis may have Beale St (Top) and Tampa has its dramatic skyline (Bottom) but both are unhappy places to live, the study says

Three of the saddest 10 cities hailed from the Sunshine State.
In contrast, Honolulu, Hawaii - the birth place of U.S. President Barack Obama - is the happiest place to live.
Manchester, New Hampshire, was the second best place to reside, with Fargo, North Dakota, in third. More...Suicide: the greatest killer of young men

Men's Health magazine calculated suicide and unemployment rates in 100 cities across the country.
It then researched the percentage of households that use antidepressants, as well as the number of people who report feeling down all or most of the time.

Pretty: The Belle of Louisville steamship in Louisville (Top) and the St Louis Gateway Arch (Bottom) may look picturesque, but are local residents unhappy?

Depressing? Birmingham, Alabama (Top), and Miami, Florida (Bottom), have both been named in a list of America's top 10 saddest cities

The diagnosis, which the publication admits is 'more statistical than psychological', has riled readers of local media across America who are keen to defend their own cities.
Many questioned the results, pointing out the best parts of their cities.
But in Detroit there was actually joy, with many observers happy that the city was not topping a league table they believed was theirs for the taking.

Frown towns: Reno (Top) and Las Vegas (Bottom) in Nevada were also named in the top 10 of the country's saddest cities

Happy and you know it: Honolulu, in Hawaii, was named as the happiest place to live in Men's Health magazine

SADDEST CITIES

1. St. Petersburg, Florida
2. Detroit, Michigan
3. Memphis, Tennessee
4. Tampa, Florida
5. Louisville, Kentucky
6. St. Louis, Missouri
7. Birmingham, Alabama
8. Miami, Florida
9. Reno, Nevada
10. Las Vegas, Nevada

HAPPIEST CITIES

1. Honolulu, Hawaii
2. Manchester, New Hampshire
3. Fargo, North Dakota
4. Omaha, Nebraska
5. Boston, Massachusetts
6. Madison, Wisconsin
7. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
8. St. Paul, Minnesota
9. Burlington, Vermont
10. Plano, Texas

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