What makes SLO so happy? Madonna Inn, according to BuzzFeed

If the Madonna Inn is key to San Luis Obispo's happiness, then three BuzzFeed staffers who tried to unlock the city's secrets have it all figured out.

But some locals - or, as the article refers to us, "SLO-cals" - weren't very impressed with the article, which reads a lot like an ad for SLO's iconic pink inn.

The article titled "We Went To The Happiest Town In The USA To Learn Its Secrets," was posted Thursday. It was written by three members of BuzzFeed's ad team and sponsored by a telecommunications company.

After reading about SLO being named one of the happiest places in the country by Reader's Digest, the three women decided to spend three days in town trying to figure out the secret to its happiness.

The trio spent a lot of time at the Madonna Inn, and poked around a few other spots in SLO, including an unnamed diner, some wineries and the Thursday night Farmers Market.

Some of their takeaways for being happy included: “not being goat tacos,” “whimsical living” and “cake and music.”

Commenters on both the article and social media had mixed reactions. Some just agreed that SLO is great — "a truly wonderful place," and "so lucky to call it my home."

Others thought the article was "ludicrous."

"Sooo, the secret to being happy is SLO is that you need to live at The Madonna Inn and go wine tasting??" one wrote. Others took issue with SLO being truly happy, noting the high cost of living and lack of diversity.

Read the article and decide for yourself at We Went To The Happiest Town In The USA To Learn Its Secrets.

This story was originally published November 7, 2016 at 6:17 AM with the headline "What makes SLO so happy? Madonna Inn, according to BuzzFeed."