Could San Diego’s new motto be ‘the city of love?’

If you want to experience “perfect love,” you reportedly can beat the odds in San Diego.

So concludes a regional survey of couples in committed relationships commissioned by eHarmony, an online matchmaking service that seeks to find out what makes relationships tick.

Its nationwide relationship survey of 2,500 people by Harris Interactive last February showed 10% of respondents cited perfect relationships. That figure jumped by 30% in a follow-up survey of 250 San Diegans.

“We were surprised at the number who are ‘perfectly happy,’ ” concludes Jeannie Assimos, chief of advice for eHarmony. “There is something really special about that region.”

Yes, the San Diego area, with its warm climate, beaches and sunshine, was credited with creating warmer relationships.

“Couples in San Diego are not only making their relationships a priority,” says eHarmony CEO Grant Langston, “but also foster a strong sense of self through taking up hobbies, spending time with their friends and enjoying all that San Diego has to offer.”

But one can’t overlook Fifi and Fido. People happiest in their relationships were also devoted pet owners (59%), willing to take their pets with them when they go out. (Perhaps being in the dog house isn’t so bad, after all.)

When it came to being simply “happy,” rather than perfectly happy in a relationship, San Diego couples were more in sync with the national average. Nearly two-thirds (63%) reported being happy. They also were found to be more romantic than the national average — enjoying date nights and simple gestures of fondness, such as holding hands, light kissing and saying “I love you” every day.

The online survey, while clearly not a definitive study, does underscore what we San Diegans already know — this is a great place to live. You don’t have to shovel snow, keep a fold-up umbrella at your fingertips or slather yourself with mosquito repellent and confine yourself to air-conditioned rooms each summer. What could be more romantic than that?

Read more of Diane Bell’s column here.