Chicago named America's most stressed out city
By Kevin Allen on October 21, 2009 9:50 AM | 15 Comments

There's a budget crisis, a fourth-place finish in the 2016 Olympic bid, a pair of losing baseball teams and corruption, corruption, corruption.

It's no wonder Chicago was identified by the Princess Cruises Life Balance Barometer as America's most stressed out city.

In the national survey, which was conducted by Harris Interactive, Chicagoans had the least "life balance," followed by Houston, Boston, Los Angeles and San Diego. Meanwhile, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Las Vegas and Dallas/Fort Worth ranked last on the list -- meaning their citizens claim to have the most life balance.

In a Princess Cruises press release, stress expert and founder of The Stress Institute, Dr. Kathleen Hall, said life balance "is all about having time for work, relationships, relaxation and fun, but when people are stressed out, it can be hard for them to focus on the priorities that will help get them back in balance."

What do you think, Chicago -- are we really that stressed, or is this a case of Princess Cruises trying to coax us away from the cold winter weather that awaits in coming months?

America's Most Stressed Out Cities

1. Chicago
2. Houston
3. Boston
4. Los Angeles
5. San Diego
6. Denver
7. San Francisco
8. Detroit
9. Tampa (tie)
9. Portland, Ore. (tie).
10. Seattle
11. Washington, D.C. (tie)
11. Baltimore (tie)
12. Sacramento
13. Pittsburgh
14. Philadelphia
15. New York
16. Phoenix
17. Atlanta
18. St. Louis
19. Minneapolis
20. Cincinnati
21. Las Vegas
22. Dallas/Fort Worth
23. Miami

http://blogs.suntimes.com