California was well represented, with seven metropolitan areas among the top 25 of nearly 190 surveyed. The Santa Cruz area was No. 3 overall, followed by San Luis Obispo, No. 7, and Santa Barbara, No. 12.

Geographical gifts, it would appear, don’t hurt. All three are perched near the Pacific and graced by rolling hills. They are also home to highly regarded university campuses — Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, U.C. Santa Cruz and U.C. Santa Barbara.

Dan Witters, the survey’s research director, said Santa Cruzans ranked first in the nation on one question that is a powerful predictor of overall well-being: 76 percent said they “learn or do something interesting everyday.”

“That’s a real vanguard of high well-being cities,” he said, “and they knock it out of the park.”

So what California city ranked lowest? Chico, which was No. 183 in the nation, one notch above Flint, Mich.

Mr. Witters said Chicoans reported the highest rate of stress in the nation. “The negative emotions are really crummy in Chico,” he said.