GuyFawkes38
03-11-2010, 03:56 PM
From the daily beast (http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-11/americas-25-craziest-cities/)
America's Craziest Cities
Move over, Las Vegas. After two years of national doldrums, crazy is on the rise again. From shrinks to drinks, The Daily Beast tallies who’s handling their stress—and who’s losing it.
Keep Austin Weird—the famous slogan from Austin, Texas, was conceived as a marketing tool, but it’s grown for some into a mantra. And why not? It’s been a rough couple of years. Those that don’t embrace a bit of zaniness risk having it consume them.
For these crazy times, The Daily Beast decided to rank America’s craziest cities—more specifically, the 57 largest metropolitan areas—using four criteria:
• Psychiatrists per capita: How many shrinks there are to fill the therapy demand per person, with data from the Census and Citysearch.com. Read: The lower the score, the more psychiatrists per capita.
• Stress: Emotional and mental health, based on a 2008 national survey by Gallup-Healthways.
• Eccentricity: How crazy, wacky, and weird each city is, compiled with help from travel writer, and student of all things eccentric, Mike Barish.
• Drinking: Whether the metropolitan area’s residents are heavy drinking, defined as two drinks a day or more for men, and one drink a day or more for women. With data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2008.
So, which city falls the furthest south of normal? Here’s a hint: it’s a bit north (and east) of Austin.
#1, Cincinnati
Psychiatrists per capita: 31 out of 57
Stress: 5 out of 57
Eccentricity: 12 out of 57
Drinking: 17 (tie) out of 57
Colorful Character: Jim Bonaminio won a local contest by creating a suite that looked like a grubby port-a-potty on the outside, but really led to a 10-stall restroom replete with flowers, marble, soft tile and tropical pictures.
#2, San Francisco
Psychiatrists per capita: 1
Stress: 57
Eccentricity: 2
Drinking: 11 (tie)
Local Character: Samir “Sammy” Keishk spent 18 months and $12,000 working on a 2,260-pound rubber-band ball in a quest to set a Guinness world record.
#3, Providence
Psychiatrists per capita: 6
Stress: 38
Eccentricity: 21
Drinking: 7
Local Color: An local group last year created a 1,350-foot-long strand of red and white beads, breaking the Guinness world record.
In addition, a while back ago, I stumbled on these maps in a book which confirm Natty's wackiness (although NYC appears more wacky):
http://www.gawker.com/assets/resources/2008/05/maps1.png
America's Craziest Cities
Move over, Las Vegas. After two years of national doldrums, crazy is on the rise again. From shrinks to drinks, The Daily Beast tallies who’s handling their stress—and who’s losing it.
Keep Austin Weird—the famous slogan from Austin, Texas, was conceived as a marketing tool, but it’s grown for some into a mantra. And why not? It’s been a rough couple of years. Those that don’t embrace a bit of zaniness risk having it consume them.
For these crazy times, The Daily Beast decided to rank America’s craziest cities—more specifically, the 57 largest metropolitan areas—using four criteria:
• Psychiatrists per capita: How many shrinks there are to fill the therapy demand per person, with data from the Census and Citysearch.com. Read: The lower the score, the more psychiatrists per capita.
• Stress: Emotional and mental health, based on a 2008 national survey by Gallup-Healthways.
• Eccentricity: How crazy, wacky, and weird each city is, compiled with help from travel writer, and student of all things eccentric, Mike Barish.
• Drinking: Whether the metropolitan area’s residents are heavy drinking, defined as two drinks a day or more for men, and one drink a day or more for women. With data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2008.
So, which city falls the furthest south of normal? Here’s a hint: it’s a bit north (and east) of Austin.
#1, Cincinnati
Psychiatrists per capita: 31 out of 57
Stress: 5 out of 57
Eccentricity: 12 out of 57
Drinking: 17 (tie) out of 57
Colorful Character: Jim Bonaminio won a local contest by creating a suite that looked like a grubby port-a-potty on the outside, but really led to a 10-stall restroom replete with flowers, marble, soft tile and tropical pictures.
#2, San Francisco
Psychiatrists per capita: 1
Stress: 57
Eccentricity: 2
Drinking: 11 (tie)
Local Character: Samir “Sammy” Keishk spent 18 months and $12,000 working on a 2,260-pound rubber-band ball in a quest to set a Guinness world record.
#3, Providence
Psychiatrists per capita: 6
Stress: 38
Eccentricity: 21
Drinking: 7
Local Color: An local group last year created a 1,350-foot-long strand of red and white beads, breaking the Guinness world record.
In addition, a while back ago, I stumbled on these maps in a book which confirm Natty's wackiness (although NYC appears more wacky):
http://www.gawker.com/assets/resources/2008/05/maps1.png