What Is the Fittest City in America?
The American College of Sports Medicine has released its annual report of the fittest cities in the country.
Arlington, Virginia, came up on top for the second year in a row, followed by Seattle and Minneapolis.
The bottom three cities on the list were Oklahoma City, North Las Vegas, and Tulsa
For the second year in a row, Arlington, Virginia, has been named America’s Fittest City by the American College of Sports Medicine. According to the report, Arlington’s “balance of healthy behaviors and community infrastructure” earned it the title.
Seattle ranks second in the study, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, is third. San Francisco and Madison, Wisconsin, round out the top five.
In determining the rankings, the report looked at the 100 largest American cities and considered a variety of indicators, ranging from walkability to air quality to park accessibility to rates of heart disease and stroke.
Arlington scored in the top 10 in 22 of the study’s 33 indicators in the fitness index, and the city ranked tops in the nation for exercise, with 92.6 percent of residents saying they exercised in the month the survey was conducted.
About one-third of Arlington residents (32.9 percent) said they met national guidelines for aerobic and strength activities. Madison topped the list of people meeting those guidelines, with 65 percent.
For those who enjoy being outside in Arlington, the national survey confirms what they’ve long known. Cyclists and runners have access to a variety of popular trails, like the Bluemont Junction, the Custis, and the Washington & Old Dominion, to name three.
The area is “very accessible by foot,” said Phillip Le, manager of the Arlington branch of the Potomac River Running store. “I don’t have a car, and it’s easy to get around. The running community around here is very supportive. There’s a variety of clubs, and if I go for a run in the afternoon, I always see someone I know.”
[Want to start running? The Big Book of Running for Beginners will take you through everything you need to know to get started, step by step.]
Arlington is also home to the popular Marine Corps Marathon, which starts and ends at the Pentagon every October and has about 27,000 finishers. This year will be the 44th running.
The city ranks seventh on ACSM’s bike score. Minneapolis finished first in that category.
The news isn’t as healthy for other metropolitan areas in the U.S. For example, St. Louis, Missouri, ranks as the country’s deadliest for pedestrians, with 5.8 fatalities per 100,000 residents.
The Top 10 Fittest Cities
Arlington, Virginia
Seattle, Washington
Minneapolis, Minnesota
San Francisco, California
Madison, Wisconsin
Washington, D.C.
St. Paul, Minnesota
Irvine, California
Denver, Colorado
Portland, Oregon
The 10 Least Fit Cities
Corpus Christi, Texas
Arlington, Texas
Detroit, Michigan
Bakersfield, California
Louisville, Kentucky
Indianapolis, Indiana
Toledo, Ohio
Tulsa, Oklahoma
North Las Vegas, Nevada
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
('You Might Also Like',)
