HAPPIEST BOROUGH

Which borough in the city is the happiest place to live?
That was the question asked of over 4,400 people citywide during a survey taken by the Citizens Committee for New York City recently.
If you live in the “Borough of Homes,” you probably already know that Queens is the happiest borough with 51 percent of residents very satisfied with their quality of life.
The most diverse place on earth, Queens boasts an international smorgasbord of ethnic restaurants, accents, customs, religions, cultures and dreams.
The survey says that Queens’ neighbors to the north in the Bronx are a negative lot - even known for their Bronx Cheer. A full 25 percent of Bronx residents really don’t want to live there at all.
Staten Islanders ranked second in happiness followed by Manhattanites and their congested streets and Brooklynites with their many bridges.
Robert Frost, American’s Poet, told us all that, “Good fences make good neighbors,” and in Queens that seems to be true. With block after block of fenced off parcels of property, 29 percent of Queens residents consider their neighbors to be friends while an additional 15 percent were sure that they could “count on each other for small favors.”
Other reasons cited in the survey, which was conducted at street fairs, farmers markets, subway stations and other public spots, for all their happiness included cleanliness and overall attractiveness of the neighborhood; quiet nights; tree-lined streets and separated housing sporting front lawns and backyard gardens.
Sadly, the survey revealed that nearly 75 percent of those participating said they would like to know their neighbors better because many valued “positive social interactions with neighbors.
So we recommend that the next time you see a neighbor, take a moment and say hello, make a new friend or at the very least find - “someone you could count on for a favor.” Be happy.