Best and most

I’m a sucker for lists of places designated as “the best” or “the most.”  You know, like “the best places to retire.”  USA Today recently named downtown Fort Pierce as one of the most “idyllic and historic main streets in the country.”  The newspaper said: “Swaying palm trees line the sidewalks, and the atmosphere evokes the early 1900s when the city came into its own.”  The article noted that in 2011 Fort Pierce won a Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  Of course, there is no Main Street in downtown Fort Pierce.  “Main Street” is meant as a metaphor for a town center.   Here is another list.  The real estate web site Movoto.com named Port St. Lucie the best city in Florida.  It cited a low crime rate, a low cost of living, good weather and easy access to amenities.   But in another list, Movoto.com ranked Florida as the most stressed-out state.  Causing stress were high unemployment and a high percentage of the population without health insurance.  The least stressed-out state was North Dakota.  What should we conclude from these rankings?  Maybe to balance the stress of living in Florida, it’s a good idea to be a resident of Fort Pierce or Port St. Lucie.  For 88.9 FM, this is Paul Janensch.