When we think of the state of Alaska, probably the first thing that comes to mind is that it is the home of the moose and polar bears—and it's hard to forget it's also the home of Sarah Palin.

After the brutal cold temperatures that have swept across the U.S. lately, we probably would be the happiest getting as far away from the wrath of winter as possible, packing up and moving somewhere tropical like Hawaii. But the Last Frontier may be the first state to consider moving to if it is happiness you're chasing.

For the first time 2008 when the poll began, Alaska actually beat out Hawaii, shockingly being crowned the happiest state in the U.S.

Alaska was given this honor based on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index for 2014. Released on Thursday, the rankings are based on more than 176,000 phone interviews with adult Americans in all of the nation's 50 states from January to December 2014.

The survey takes into account state resident's health in five categories, including: motivation to achieve goals (what they call purpose), positive social relationships, financial satisfaction, feeling safe and having pride in their community physical health. It also looks at what people experience every day and how people feel about their lives.

Alaska has earned itself a spot on the top ten list four times since 2008, this year ranking highest in the purpose category.

"They do a lot of the blocking and tackling, as far as taking care of themselves and making good choices, but also demonstrating good holistic well-being in ways that extend beyond the conventional physical wellness," says Dan Watters, the research direct for the Gallup Index.

Alaskans have high rates of employee engagement at work, and take strides to improve their community. They also have low obesity rates and low levels of daily stress.

While Alaska is the happiest state, the nod for second happiest goes to Hawaii, which ranked the highest for financial and physical well-being categories. Hawaii has placed among the top 10 since the rankings began.

South Dakota came in third place. Meanwhile, North Dakota plummeted to number 23, after being named the happiest state of 2013. North Dakota's drop was mostly attributable, the report notes, to a decline in its residents' overall life evaluation, coupled with worsened health-related behaviors such as higher smoking rates, reduced exercise and less healthy eating compared with 2013.

West Virginia and Kentucky ranked the lowest on the list, 50th and 49th, respectively. Both states have nailed their anchor spots for the past six years.

[PHOTO CREDIT: Joseph/Flickr]