Are you satisfied with the place you live? Survey says ... wow!

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eople in the Birmingham metro area, according to a

Gallup survey released this month

, are as likely to be satisfied with their city as those who live in the Chicago area.

That's right, Chicago.

They've got the Bulls. We've got the Barons.

They've got their hot dogs. We've got our hot dogs.

And it doesn't matter a lick. Because the satisfactometer in both communities registers at 83.1 percent. The only difference, according to this study, is that Birmingham folks are more optimistic about their city's future than those in Chicago.

Birmingham and Chicago have the same community satisfaction rate, according to Gallup.

Not that folks are giddy in either place. Birmingham and Chicago rank 134th and 135th respectively on the satisfaction list.

They're happier in Huntsville, it seems. This Gallup-Healthways survey found folks there are the most satisfied (90 percent) of any in Alabama's metros. They're among the most satisfied around, ranking 30^th among 189 MSAs. That puts them on a par with Salt Lake City. Or, um, Fayetteville, Ark.

It's tougher in Mobile, though. Mobile (82.8 percent) was worst of all in Alabama metros, if you don't count that part of the Columbus, Ga. metro that reaches into the state. Mobile comes in 16^th lowest of all, somewhere between Poughkeepsie and Detroit.

What does it mean?

If you focus on the rankings (below), you can't help but see a world getting progressively more unsatisfying from Huntsville to Birmingham to Montgomery and to Mobile.

[Are you satisfied? Take the AL.com poll here]

But if you focus on the rankings, you compare yourself to Fort Collins, Col., which is ostensibly the most satisfied place in America. And hey, Fort Collins is a college town in a pot-legal state, where satisfaction comes with a bag of Cheetos and a couch.

If you focus on the rankings you miss the ... wow!

Because what this survey really shows is that the average satisfaction rate across America is 85 percent. My God. That's better than Magic Johnson's career free throw percentage and higher than the approval rating of any U.S. president for any term since Gallup started keeping the stats with Harry Truman.

Birmingham's 83.1 percent—and Mobile's seemingly unsatisfying 82.8 percent -- is higher than the career winning percentage of either Nick Saban or Bear Bryant.

The amazing thing here – and it really is amazing – is that satisfaction about where you live doesn't vary all that much. People in San Francisco are no more satisfied than those in Roanoke, Va., Those in LA are just as satisfied – or just as unsatisfied -- as those in Peoria.

And while economies in various communities certainly affect the ratings, there is clearly more to community satisfaction than money.

After all, 51 percent of the households in the Birmingham metro area bring home less than $50,000 a year, yet more than eight of 10 said they were satisfied with their community. Some 19 percent of Alabamians live in poverty. Fewer than that, according to this survey, are dissatisfied with where they live.

This survey tells us that community satisfaction has less to do with skyscrapers and professional sports teams than it does in the joy of neighbors and friends and churches. It reminds us what we really know: That satisfaction doesn't come from your city or your county or your state at all.

And those things cannot provide it.

Satisfaction, as has always been the case, comes from working hard and feeling a sense of accomplishment. It comes from being part of a community, from doing all you can to make your neighborhood and your world a better place.

It comes from being close to your family, physically or otherwise. It comes from laughing and learning and living, and doing it all with the profound desire to leave the world better than you found it.

Satisfaction isn't that hard to find. You just have to look inside.

John Archibald is a columnist for Alabama Media Group. jarchibald@al.com

Most satisfied U.S. communities
Rank	MSA	Percent satisfied
1	Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	94.9
2	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	94.1
3	Holland-Grand Haven, MI	93.4
4	Billings, MT	93.1
5	Boulder, CO	92.8
6	Provo-Orem, UT	92.3
7	Barnstable Town, MA	92.3
8	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	92.2
9	Madison, WI	91.9
10	Honolulu, HI	91.7
11	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA	91.6
12	Lincoln, NE	91.5
13	Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA	91.4
14	Raleigh-Cary, NC	91.4
15	Asheville, NC	91.4
16	Ogden-Clearfield, UT	91.1
17	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	91
18	Olympia, WA	91
19	Kalamazoo-Portage, MI	90.6
20	Winston-Salem, NC	90.6
21	Lancaster, PA	90.6
22	Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME	90.5
23	Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, FL	90.5
24	Denver-Aurora, CO	90.4
25	Charlottesville, VA	90.3
26	Bellingham, WA	90.3
27	Naples-Marco Island, FL	90.2
28	Fayetteville, Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO	90.1
29	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	90.1
30	Huntsville, AL	90
31	Salt Lake City, UT	89.9
32	Lexington-Fayette, KY	89.8
33	Knoxville, TN	89.8
34	Greenville-Mauldin-Easley, SC	89.7
35	Ann Arbor, MI	89.6
36	Sioux Falls,SD	89.4
37	Boise City-Nampa, ID	89.4
38	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	89.4
39	McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX	89.2
40	Austin-Round Rock, TX	89.2
41	Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC	89.1
42	Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC	88.8
43	Manchester-Nashua, NH	88.8
44	Savannah, GA	88.6
45	Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI	88.6
46	Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN	88.4
47	Burlington-South Burlington, VT	88.4
48	San Antonio, TX	88.3
49	San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA	88.3
50	Salem, OR	88.3
51	Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA	88.2
52	Indianapolis-Carmel, IN	88
53	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH	88
54	Bremerton-Silverdale, WA	87.9
55	Oklahoma City, OK	87.8
56	Springfield, MO	87.8
57	Greensboro-High Point, NC	87.8
58	Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA	87.8
59	Anchorage, AK	87.7
60	York-Hanover, PA	87.7
61	Medford, OR	87.6
62	Spokane, WA	87.6
63	Colorado Springs, CO	87.5
64	Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA	87.4
65	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	87.4
66	Lafayette, LA	87.3
67	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	87
68	Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX	87
69	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	87
70	Charleston-N Charleston-Summerville, SC	86.8
71	Richmond, VA	86.8
72	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	86.8
73	Spartanburg, SC	86.6
74	Columbus, OH	86.6
75	Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	86.6
76	Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	86.6
77	Wilmington, NC	86.5
78	Wichita, KS	86.4
79	Green Bay, WI	86.4
80	Roanoke, VA	86.3
81	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	86.2
82	Fort Smith, AR-OK	86.1
83	Orlando-Kissimmee, FL	86.1
84	Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI	86.1
85	Pittsburgh, PA	86.1
86	Reno-Sparks, NV	86.1
87	Eugene-Springfield, OR	86
88	Duluth, MN-WI	86
89	Durham, NC	85.9
90	Kansas City, MO-KS	85.9
91	Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	85.8
92	Fort Wayne, IN	85.7
93	Lynchburg, VA	85.6
94	Evansville, IN-KY	85.6
95	Chattanooga, TN-GA	85.5
96	Rochester, NY	85.5
97	Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN	85.4
98	Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA	85.3
99	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA	85.2
100	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT	85.1
101	Gainesville, FL	85
102	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA	84.9
103	Peoria, IL	84.9
104	Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	84.9
105	Little Rock-N Little Rock-Conway, AR	84.8
106	Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV	84.8
107	Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN	84.7
108	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	84.7
109	Albuquerque, NM	84.6
110	Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	84.6
111	Cedar Rapids, IA	84.4
112	Greeley, CO	84.4
113	Columbia, SC	84.3
114	Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA	84.3
115	Syracuse, NY	84.1
116	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL	84
117	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	84
118	Jacksonville, FL	83.9
119	Akron,OH	83.9
120	Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL	83.9
121	Topeka, KS	83.9
122	Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ	83.9
123	Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	83.8
124	Canton-Massillon, OH	83.8
125	Tulsa, OK	83.7
126	Dayton, OH	83.6
127	St. Louis, MO-IL	83.6
128	El Paso, TX	83.5
129	Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL	83.5
130	Springfield, MA	83.5
131	Redding, CA	83.5
132	Lansing-East Lansing, MI	83.4
133	Erie, PA	83.3
134	Birmingham-Hoover, AL	83.1
135	Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI	83.1
136	Salinas, CA	83.1
137	South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI	83
138	Worcester, MA	83
139	Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX	82.8
140	Montgomery, AL	82.8
141	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	82.8
142	Port St. Lucie, FL	82.7
143	Yakima, WA	82.7
144	Ocala, FL	82.4
145	New York-North New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA	82.3
146	Visalia-Porterville, CA	82.3
147	Philadephia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	82.3
148	Prescott, AZ	82.1
149	Albany-Schenectady-Troy,NY	82.1
150	Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH	82.1
151	Clarksville, TN-KY	82
152	Las Vegas-Paradise, NV	81.9
153	Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC	81.8
154	Corpus Christi, TX	81.6
155	Tucson, AZ	81.5
156	New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA	81.3
157	Fresno, CA	81.2
158	Charleston, WV	81.1
159	Baltimore-Towson, MD	81
160	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	80.9
161	Reading, PA	80.6
162	Baton Rouge, LA	80.4
163	Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA	80.1
164	Tallahassee, FL	79.9
165	Shreveport-Bossier City, LA	79.8
166	New Haven-Milford, CT	79.8
167	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	79.7
168	Norwich-New London, CT	79.7
169	Vallejo-Fairfield, CA	79.6
170	Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY	79.3
171	Modesto, CA	79.3