A typical Ames resident is care-free, according to a recent survey by teen fashion magazine “Seventeen.”

Ames was named as one of “Seventeen” magazine’s top five least-stressful cities to live in, along with Ithaca, N.Y., Honolulu, Green Bay, Wis., and Princeton, N.J.

Cities were chosen based on the city’s climate and divorce, suicide and crime rates.

Larry Zwagerman, guidance counselor at Ames High, said the city’s low crime rate is probably the cause of the recognition.

“The crime rate is down in comparison to the rest of the nation, which would make a person less-stressed,” he said. “The school crime rate is also very low in comparison with other schools nationwide.”

Zwagerman also said the weather in Ames is a factor in keeping students stress-free.

“I believe variety is the spice of life, and we have a variety of weather here in Ames,” he said. “Warm weather all the time is nice, but I think it is stimulating to have a variety of weather, and I have heard students agree.”

The city’s quality of education is another major factor in Ames’ stress-free environment, said both Zwagerman and Denise Denton, a prevention specialist at Youth and Shelter Services.

Denton and Zwagerman do have opposing opinions on the stress that Ames’ educational climate adds to students’ lives, however.

“One thing that can make things stressful in Ames is the high standard for kids,” Denton said.

But Zwagerman sees this as an advantage for teens.

“Being in a university community puts a lot of emphasis on education,” he said. “But Ames students receive lots of support from their families. Although making grades can add stress to students’ lives, I don’t see this as being too different from the rest of the nation.”

Both Zwagerman and Denton also said stress originates from the same issues in teens and adults.

“If adults are dealing with problems in their relationships, drugs or with a diet, teens are also dealing with the same problems,” Zwagerman said. “We need to provide more services to teens. Our society kind of ignores young people’s problems.”

Sgt. Randy Kessel, public information officer for the Ames Police Department, said another reason teens in Ames may stay less stressed is Ames’ relatively healthy economy.

“This area has not been touched by a downturn in economics, and that has a lot to do with the stress of students,” he said. “If you have a breadwinner that has been laid off, there is stress in the home, and right now, we have a strong economy.”