[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 146 (Tuesday, October 6, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, AS THE HAPPIEST CITY IN AMERICA

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                     HON. CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, JR.

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 6, 2015

  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lafayette, 
Louisiana, for being recognized as the Happiest City in America. 
Lafayette is my home. I was raised there, attended elementary and high 
school there, obtained my undergraduate degree from the University of 
Southwest Louisiana there, and began a family there. Anyone who has 
spent time in our city can tell you it is a place filled with joie de 
vivre--where friends and neighbors become family, our unique Cajun 
food, music, and culture abound, and everyone knows how to have a good 
time.
  This designation was awarded by the National Bureau of Economic 
Research based on a 2014 study conducted by Edward Glaeser of Harvard 
University, Joshua Gottlieb of the Vancouver School of Economics, and 
Oren Ziv, a Harvard University doctoral student. Amazingly, every city 
in the top five hail from Louisiana, with Houma, Shreveport-Bossier 
City, Baton Rouge, and Alexandria following Lafayette in the study's 
findings. Accordingly, Louisiana was found to be the happiest state in 
the country.
  This is just another reason I am proud to call Lafayette, Louisiana, 
my home. I'm honored to represent this beautiful and diverse city in 
Congress, and am grateful to be able to recognize its distinction as 
the Happiest City in America.

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