A 2008 Gallup-Healthways poll, which ranked San Luis Obispo No. 1 in the U.S. in overall emotional health, sparked Beuttner’s interest in the small city.

In January 2010, he began to focus on what makes San Luis Obispo (SLO, to locals) so emotionally healthy.

“That’s when I got a phone call from Delta Sky Magazine editor Steve Marsh, who said he was coming to San Luis Obispo for a freelance project,” said Lindsey Miller, director of marketing for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. “I hadn’t worked with him before, but he called because he recognized the Chamber brand. Most good travel writers know that when they’re writing about a place they aren’t familiar with, the local Chamber of Commerce is a good place to start.”

Later that month, Marsh paid a visit to SLO to conduct research. He was vague about the project that was in its infancy, but Miller showed him around town and shared with him what makes SLO special and its residents unique.

After months of back-and-forth correspondence via e-mail and phone calls, answering detailed questions about San Luis Obispo and local residents, fact-checking, and introducing Marsh to several locals, Miller then met with him for a second visit – this time with Buettner in tow.

“I really didn’t know who Dan was, but they were here doing research for this project, and as they were researching, I was filling in the holes for them and connected them with the right people to tell San Luis Obispo’s story,” Miller explained. “They would tell me the angle they were looking for and I would find them and connect the writers with the locals.”

In the months that followed, Miller continued to “fill in the holes” for the writing-duo, and eventually found out what their project was. It was a book featuring the happiest spots on earth. The National Geographic book, “Thrive,” was released in October 2010, and the city has been riding the happy wave ever since.

“The media coverage has been amazing,” Miller said. “Early on, we hooked up with Dan’s public relations team so that when they pushed the book, they would push San Luis Obispo, as it was the only city in North America featured in the book.”

Soon, San Luis Obispo was featured in stories for Parade Magazine, National Public Radio (NPR), Yahoo! Travel, Good Morning America, Delta Sky Magazine, Extra TV, and even the Oprah Winfrey Show.

“Dan loves San Luis, and he encouraged Oprah show producers to contact us for a segment on the show about happiness. He even gave them my cell phone number,” Miller revealed. “But I missed the call because I was in a meeting. When I finally got the message, I was floored. I couldn’t wait to call them back.”

The Oprah show producers gave Miller 48-hours notice to prepare for the filming of a segment that would soon air on one of the show’s final episodes. They filmed in SLO on a holiday weekend. But Miller was under a non-disclosure agreement and couldn’t tell anyone except those who were involved in the filming of the show.

“Tourism promotion doesn’t get any better than Oprah saying your town is ‘Happy Town, USA,’ ” Miller said. “I think this was the biggest and best PR score ever for San Luis Obispo.

During the entire process, Miller worked to connect various travel writers with San Luis Obispo residents and business owners who could accurately and enthusiastically tell San Luis Obispo’s story.

The happy press hasn’t stopped yet. The LA Times, The Hindu (India’s second largest daily newspaper), and USA Today are all recently featured stories about SLO.

“Public relations and tourism promotion is a core function of most Chambers of Commerce, and it’s especially important here at the SLO Chamber,” Miller said with a smile. “And I’m just happy to do my job and promote San Luis Obispo as a great place to live and visit.”