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The Best and Worst Cities for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

By LeeAnn Whittemore Dec 18, 2019 2:43 AM

Well, the big ball has dropped and we’ve managed to stave off any ancient Doomsday Prophecies for another year, so you know what that means: now we all have to actually try to stick to those resolutions we hastily and/or drunkenly made over the past few weeks. While successful resolution-keeping ultimately comes down to determination, there are always a few outside forces that can help (or hinder) your life goals for the year. We all know the importance of support systems, new habits, helpful gear, and will power, but it turns out that where you live might have an effect on your resolutions, too.

To help you see if you’re starting your year off in the right place, the folks over at WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 52 key metrics (like income growth, unemployment rates, and adult obesity levels) to determine the best and worst cities for keeping your New Year’s Resolutions in 2018. You can pop on over to WalletHub for the full list, but we’ve rounded up the top ten from each side here so you can check your spot (after all, if you’re already doomed to fail you might as well go ahead and have that cake for breakfast).

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Top 10 Best Cities for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

Seattle, Washington
San Francisco, California
San Diego, California
Scottsdale, Arizona
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Jose, California
Orlando, Florida
Irvine, California
Austin, Texas
Portland, Oregon

Top 10 Worst Cities for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

Columbus, Georgia
Hialeah, Florida
Mobile, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Augusta, Georgia
Detroit, Michigan
Jackson, Mississippi
Newark, New Jersey
Shreveport, Louisiana
Gulfport, Mississippi

By The Numbers: Best vs. Worst

Fremont, California, has the lowest share of obese adults, 14.7 percent, which is 3.1 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 45.1 percent.
Fremont, California, has the lowest share of delinquent debtors, 1.80 percent, which is seven times lower than in Tempe, Arizona, the city with the highest at 12.65 percent.
South Burlington, Vermont, has the lowest unemployment rate, 2.1 percent, which is 5.2 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 10.9 percent.
Charleston, West Virginia, has the lowestprevalence of adult binge- and heavy drinking, 11.1 percent, which is 2.4 times lower than in Madison, Wisconsin, the city with the highest at 26.4 percent.
San Jose, California, has the lowest share of adult smokers, 8.4 percent, which is 3.1 times lower than in St. Louis, the city with the highest at 26.3 percent.
El Paso, Texas, has the lowest average wedding cost (as a share of the median annual household income), 31.19 percent, which is 3.9 times lower than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the highest at 121.43 percent.

Now that you’ve got the facts, you can face your resolutions (and 2018) prepared. Happy New Year!

LeeAnn Whittemore is a writer, artist, and graphic designer who grew up in the Midwest before moving to the Gulf Coast. As a… Read Full Bio

A toast to excellence: Don’t overthink lighting a cigar…but don’t underthink it either

Face, Head, Person

When I first decided I was ready to try cigars for the first time, I was ready to jump right in and sit back to enjoy the experience. Then, something crazy happened. I couldn’t light it. It seemed so simple. Flame, meet cigar. It really couldn’t be that complicated. But I ran into a slew of problems. The wrong kind of flame, canoeing, an uneven burn, and the damn thing kept going out, causing me to restart the embarrassing process. So I reached out to my friends over at La Aurora to find out what I was doing wrong.

That is when I found out from their own John Gaglio that these issues are very common and there is no reason to be embarrassed. Instead, don’t overthink lighting your cigar. And don’t underthink it. Instead, try to use the following tips and enjoy the experience without shame.

Topgolf brings back John Daly to continue to “disrupt” the game

john daly

To the uninitiated, golf can feel like a stuffy game. There is a dress code, there is an etiquette, and you even have to be quiet. At a sporting event. For those of us who love golf (don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan but believe it is called golf because the other four-letter words are taken), we recognize golf isn’t stuffy as much as it is steeped in tradition. But there has always been one man who shirked the shackles of the tradition and disrupted the game of golf with one of the most immaculate vibes in the sport, John Daly. With his drinking, smoking, wild pants, wilder mouth, and general who-gives-a-sh*t nature, he was everything golf wanted to keep out. Now, the game embraces him and his vibe, and Topgolf brought him in to continue the disruption.

I love the vibe at Topgolf. It’s a place where you can smash a golf ball, listen to music, have a drink, and enjoy yourself with friends and family. That’s my kind of golf. – John Daly

Cigar Lounge Spotlight: The Carnegie Club takes you back to Rat Pack days

Couch, Furniture, Body Part

Three blocks south of Central Park, before you find yourself lost in the hectic environment of Times Square, is a cigar lounge tucked back away from the hustle and bustle. It almost feels like a secret. A place only those in the know are privy to. Of course, if that is the intention, then lovers of this establishment will be coming for me in no time with their pitchforks. I am talking about The Carnegie Club—a cigar lounge sitting on 56th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue. From the moment you walk in, it doesn’t feel like a normal, run-of-the-mill bar. No, this has a New York feel, but a specific kind of New York feel. One that harkens back to the days of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. This feels like the Rat Pack days.

The space