Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. tops this year's list of healthiest and fittest cities in the U.S., but where does the Greatest City in the World (sorry, biased) fall in the rankings?
Surprisingly (or maybe not, to some), New York City comes in at number 30, far behind other Northeastern metro areas like Boston (#3); Hartford, Conn. (#7); and even Buffalo (#23).
The American Fitness Index was released in a report by the American College of Sports Medicine, which looked at preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, health care access and community resources and policies that support physical activity.
Minneapolis-St. Paul rose to the top of the list this year thanks to greater improvements in healthy behavior measures and a reduction in the percentage of smokers. Farmer markets in the area also increased this year, indicating a trend in healthier eating, said ACSM.
The top 10 healthiest cities, according to the 2011 AFI report:
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
- Washington, D.C.
- Boston, Mass.
- Portland, Ore.
- Denver, Colo.
- San Francisco, Calif.
- Hartford, Conn.
- Seattle, Wash.
- Virginia Beach, Va.
- Sacramento, Calif.
The least healthiest cities, according to the 2011 AFI report:
- Los Angeles, Calif.
- Houston, Texas
- Las Vegas, Nev.
- Riverside, Calif.
- Indianapolis, Ind.
- Detroit, Mich.
- Birmingham, Ala.
- Memphis, Tenn.
- Louisville, Ky.
- Oklahoma, Okla.
