There are many reasons Lincoln has been named America's Happiest City — the economy and sense of community among them — but Ann Ringlein has a far simpler one.
The people of Lincoln have access to 132 parks and 134 miles of trails.
"(It's) because we have such wonderful trails, I think people (are) wanting to get outside," said Ringlein, manager of the Lincoln Running Company.Â
Men's Health magazine named Lincoln America's Happiest City in its December issue after researchers surveyed residents of 100 U.S. cities and determined Nebraska's capital tops in mental health, community, financial well-being, environment and physical health.
And its parks and trails were a nice perk, too.
Mary Torell, board member of the Great Plains Trail Network, said there has been a significant increase in people using Lincoln's trails this year.
People are also reading…
COVID-19 has a lot to do with that, she said. Consider that on Oct. 10, Rock Island Trail hosted 23,177 people.Â
"The trails have been a godsend to so many people and I've never seen (them) as crowded as (they've) been this last year," she said.
Lincoln's economy also played a factor in the ranking.
Robin Eschliman, owner of Eschliman Commercial Real Estate, said Lincoln's economy was stable from the beginning of the year with record lows in unemployment.
"The economy in Lincoln never wanted to stop. It took so long for the pandemic to hit and we had such a strong economy going into it," Eschliman said.Â
While many Men's Health readers might wonder how Lincoln beat out a number a larger cities with more amenities, Ringlein is not surprised by the honor.
"I love that Lincoln got named the happiest city in the country and I totally understand why," she said.Â