What Are US Healthiest Cities?

City living doesn’t mean giving up a healthy lifestyle in all the contrary, it could boost your health! These are America’s top healthiest cities, they give you the best of both worlds: city living + nature! We are not necessarily encouraging you to pick up and pack your bags for good but we do think is important to learn what they are doing. Researchers found that the policies and physical layout of a city can determine how healthy its residents will be. So even though we don’t all live in a city surrounded by mountains, we can certainly encourage our local governments to put in better policies to support a healthier lifestyle.

San Francisco, California

• Did you know that San Francisco is considered one of the most “vegetarian-friendly” cities in the United States? San Francisco is not only an oasis of vegetarian and vegan restaurants but also has a vast variety of vegetarian and vegan-friendly menus, even at restaurants with meat dishes. San Francisco may be a city but it boasts amazing parks and beaches making it easy for people to be close to nature which boost our health.

Seattle, Washington

• Seattleites are among the most likely to bike or walk to work in the country  According to data from The League of American Bicyclists, Seattle has more than 15,000 bike commuters on the street — that’s close to 4 percent of the population. Plus the city is known for farmers markets and green spaces! Pike Market opened in 1907 making it the oldest farmers market in the United States! Even though it’s definitely the most popular market in Seattle, it’s also not the only one. In fact, Seattle ranked second for farmers markets in Travel and Leisure.

Portland, Oregon

• With 227 parks and 146 miles of forested hiking trails, it’s no wonder Portland was recently named one of the greenest cities in the country. Portland is also one of the most sustainable cities not only in the U.S but also in the world. This city makes it its business to educate and implement healthy strategies for its people. For example, the Mayor’s Initiative for Healthy Sustainable Food Systems, which is designed to increase access to healthier food for Portlanders by promoting composting programs, community gardens, and farmers markets.

San Diego, California

• Yes, California does take the award with the healthiest cities in America! San Diego is no exception – it’s residents have been voted to eat the most fruits and vegetables daily in the country. They are also extremely engaged physically because of all the outdoor options around them.