What is the happiest place on earth? If you guessed San Luis Obispo, give yourself a gold star. In a new book called “Thrive,” best-selling author Dan Buettner attempts to discover what the happiest places have in common and what secrets we can learn from them.

With behind-the-scenes help from San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director Lindsey Miller, Buettner learned some lessons from the town we love to call home – and he’s sharing it with the world.

"We do this kind of thing all the time -- promoting the community and giving important tourism information to travel writers -- but this was just an extraordinary experience," Miller said. 

Miller worked with Buettner and the National Geographic team for more than eight months to give them the inside scoop about San Luis Obispo. She connected Buettner and Steve Marsh, a collaborator on the book, with important community leaders who call San Luis Obispo home. She also delved into researching the area to ensure the authors painted an accurate picture of San Luis Obispo and its residents.

"I have a new-found sense of how special San Luis Obispo is because of the research and work I put into helping the writers," Miller explained. "I already had a deep appreciation and love for San Luis Obispo, but I learned more about the area in the last 18 months than I ever could have imagined." 

Calling San Luis Obispo a “utopia” and the “Real American Dream,” Buettner gives readers a glimpse into what makes San Luis Obispo so special and helps the outside world understand why locals are so happy here. In fact, San Luis Obispo residents ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in overall emotional health in 2008.

Citing the local support for the arts, active and healthy lifestyles of locals, open spaces, ban of drive-through restaurants, and the empowerment of the people who live here, Buettner paints an accurate picture of the city. We even just finished painting our utility boxes to make the downtown prettier.

“Everyone who lives here knows that the quality of life in San Luis Obispo is exceptional, and it’s really exciting when we get to share that with someone who has a platform to tell the rest of the world,” Miller said. “Let’s face it. We couldn’t keep San Luis Obispo our happy little secret forever.”



“Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way” is in bookstores now.