St. Cloud, Minn., Fargo, N.D., and Sioux Falls, S.D. are pretty chill — literally and figuratively.
The northern Midwest has the nation’s most carefree mid-size cities, as determined by Realtor.com. Places like Madison, Wis., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, offer decent-paying jobs and affordable housing.
Meanwhile, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami rank among the most stressed-out cities, based on a list of 11 metrics including housing affordability, average work hours, divorce rate, and poverty levels. Climate plays a factor, too.
Like other cities on the list, Phoenix has its share of stress due to long work hours, frustrating commutes, and a high divorce rate. And forget about humidity, let’s just focus on the heat: Last summer, the temperature in Phoenix reached a groundbreaking 118 degrees.