Fort Worth is among the 40 most stressful major cities in America, according to a new survey that considered sinking property values, unemployment, inflation, and poor environments.
But don’t have a panic attack for chrissakes.
Things aren’t as bad as they sound.
For one, Fort Worth is lumped in with Dallas, a city more stressed out than a tightrope artist with diarrhea and shin splints.
So even though D-FW is on the list (thanks Dallas) we’re way down there at No. 36.
We’re even less anxious than Denver (No. 35), a state inhabited solely by stoners hanging out in the mountains and drinking Coors.
Houston (No. 32) is more stressed out than us, of course. I get stressed out just taking the loop around that crowded, humid, muggy mess of a city.
Still, Fort Worth’s panties are in tighter wads than those found in the more laid back cities of Austin (No. 40) and San Antonio (39). But, again, that’s the Dallas factor at work. Remove “the city where the east peters out” from the equation, and Fort Worth would probably fall off the list altogether.
You’re right. What the survey is saying, basically, is that Fort Worth-Dallas isn’t very stressed at all. Think about it: There’s an average of one major metropolitan area per state*, which means there are about 50 major metropolitan areas. And Fort Worth is barely in the top 40.
* Some states, such as Texas and California, have three or four major metropolitan areas. Other states, such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho, have none.