America’s ‘Happiest’ Seaside Towns

(creative commons/shutterrunner) This Midwestern village on the shores of Lake Michigan has a checkered history that adds to its intrigue: “Originally envisioned in the 19th century as a resort fashioned after the Eastern Chautauqua movement that combined culture, education, and recreation, Lake Bluff also enjoyed colorful days as an alcohol-smuggling port during Prohibition.”

For Coastal Living's special 15^th anniversary edition, the magazine scoured the U.S. for "America's Happiest Seaside Towns."

Editors picked the seaside hamlets from Coastal Living's existing "Dream Towns," featured in the magazine over the past 15 years. They also placed a call out for entries on social media channels and funneled the results through the Gallup-Healthways Index, which ranks towns based on percentage of sunny and clear days, average commute times, healthiness of beaches, crime, and diversity, among other factors.

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"By ranking the top 15 happiest seaside communities, we draw attention to places where life is good and the beach is close by," the magazine's editor-in-chief, Antonia van der Meer, said in a statement.

The 15^th anniversary issue of Costal Living, a Time Inc. publication, hit newsstands Friday with the magazine's first-ever ranking of places to live and visit along the American coast.

With 840 miles of coastline, it's no surprise that California towns placed high on the list, taking four of the top 10 spots. Massachusetts also fared well with four towns in the top 15.

Just missing the top 10 were Marblehead, Mass.; Stinson Beach, Calif.; Cohasset, Mass.; Duxbury, Mass.; and Solomons Island, Md. Press "Start" for a look at the 10 seaside towns that topped the list as the "happiest" in America.

(creative commons/shutterrunner) This Midwestern village on the shores of Lake Michigan has a checkered history that adds to its intrigue: “Originally envisioned in the 19th century as a resort fashioned after the Eastern Chautauqua movement that combined culture, education, and recreation, Lake Bluff also enjoyed colorful days as an alcohol-smuggling port during Prohibition.”

No. 4 Lake Bluff, Illinois

This Midwestern village on the shores of Lake Michigan has a checkered history that adds to its intrigue: “Originally envisioned in the 19th century as a resort fashioned after the Eastern Chautauqua movement that combined culture, education, and recreation, Lake Bluff also enjoyed colorful days as an alcohol-smuggling port during Prohibition.”

(creative commons/efilc) Coastal Living called this barrier island “exquisite” with small-town charms and a vacation-like lifestyle. Kiawah Island is home to “10 miles of unspoiled fine-sand beach; wild-growing palmetto, oak, and magnolia trees; a veritable Noah's ark's worth of mammals and rare birds; and 1,626 lucky residents.”

No. 1 Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Coastal Living called this barrier island “exquisite” with small-town charms and a vacation-like lifestyle. Kiawah Island is home to “10 miles of unspoiled fine-sand beach; wild-growing palmetto, oak, and magnolia trees; a veritable Noah's ark's worth of mammals and rare birds; and 1,626 lucky residents.”

(REUTERS) Coastal Living said Naples lives up to its Italian namesake and international reputation: “With rich cultural offerings (including resident orchestral and theater groups), this town of just fewer than 20,000 people offers big-city-pay-offs minutes from beaches with some of the finest snowy white sand in the region.”

No. 2 Naples, Florida

Coastal Living said Naples lives up to its Italian namesake and international reputation: “With rich cultural offerings (including resident orchestral and theater groups), this town of just fewer than 20,000 people offers big-city-pay-offs minutes from beaches with some of the finest snowy white sand in the region.”

(REUTERS) This town just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and surrounded by a lush recreation area has one of the only open marinas on San Francisco Bay’s coast. Coast Living notes: “The zeitgeist here echoes its bohemian roots as an artists' colony while also hosting well-heeled inhabitants.”

No. 3 Sausalito, California

This town just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and surrounded by a lush recreation area has one of the only open marinas on San Francisco Bay’s coast. Coast Living notes: “The zeitgeist here echoes its bohemian roots as an artists' colony while also hosting well-heeled inhabitants.”

(creative commons/Mr. Pi) On the other side of Richardson Bay from Sausalito (No. 3 on the list), this Bay Area hamlet of 10,000 is not nearly as scary as its name Tiburon (Spanish for shark) may have you thinking. Coastal Living notes: “Perhaps most emblematic of the welcome in Tiburon is in the philosophy of one of its oldest restaurants, the beloved waterfront hangout Sam's Anchor Cafe (one of the only restaurants in the San Francisco Bay with a public dock): "Pull up. Tie up. Stay a while." It's that kind of place.”

No. 5 Tiburon, California

On the other side of Richardson Bay from Sausalito (No. 3 on the list), this Bay Area hamlet of 10,000 is not nearly as scary as its name Tiburon (Spanish for shark) may have you thinking. Coastal Living notes: “Perhaps most emblematic of the welcome in Tiburon is in the philosophy of one of its oldest restaurants, the beloved waterfront hangout Sam's Anchor Cafe (one of the only restaurants in the San Francisco Bay with a public dock): "Pull up. Tie up. Stay a while." It's that kind of place.”

(REUTERS) Laguna Beach, of MTV fame, is as beautiful in person as it is on TV. Coastal Living says: “From its founding as an artists' colony, Laguna Beach embraces the diverse, with funky downtown restaurants, surfing culture, and a summer full of art festivals.”

No. 6 Laguna Beach, California

Laguna Beach, of MTV fame, is as beautiful in person as it is on TV. Coastal Living says: “From its founding as an artists' colony, Laguna Beach embraces the diverse, with funky downtown restaurants, surfing culture, and a summer full of art festivals.”

(creative commons/radzphoto) Coastal living notes that “everyone's first visit to Half Moon Bay feels as close to a ‘eureka!’ discovery moment as there is.” Though it’s just around the corner from Silicon Valley, this fertile township of 12,000 proudly maintains its agricultural heritage.

No. 7 Half Moon Bay, California

Coastal living notes that “everyone's first visit to Half Moon Bay feels as close to a ‘eureka!’ discovery moment as there is.” Though it’s just around the corner from Silicon Valley, this fertile township of 12,000 proudly maintains its agricultural heritage.

(creative commons/kylezoa) This summertime retreat occupying the elbow of Cape Cod revels in its old town charms. Coastal Living notes: “Pure New England in its shingled cottages, cozy along its narrow streets, Chatham maintains the small-scale beauty of its 18-century beginnings.”

No. 8 Chatham, Massachusetts

This summertime retreat occupying the elbow of Cape Cod revels in its old town charms. Coastal Living notes: “Pure New England in its shingled cottages, cozy along its narrow streets, Chatham maintains the small-scale beauty of its 18-century beginnings.”

(creative commons/captain kimo) This easygoing Florida town boasts healthy beaches, natural wonders, and a low-key mentality. Coastal Living jokes: “Hundreds of rare loggerhead turtles know a paradise when they find one.”

No. 9 Jupiter, Florida

This easygoing Florida town boasts healthy beaches, natural wonders, and a low-key mentality. Coastal Living jokes: “Hundreds of rare loggerhead turtles know a paradise when they find one.”

(creative commons/mark faviell ) The gateway to Maui’s world-famous Ka’anapali and Kapalua beach resorts is a destination all to its own. Coastal Living boasts: “Lahaina maintains an exotic tinge of a mid-19th-century Hawaiian seaport in its architecture and vibe.”

No. 10 Lahaina, Hawaii

The gateway to Maui’s world-famous Ka’anapali and Kapalua beach resorts is a destination all to its own. Coastal Living boasts: “Lahaina maintains an exotic tinge of a mid-19th-century Hawaiian seaport in its architecture and vibe.”