- What's the healthiest city in America? It appears to be Burlington,
Vt.
Vermont's largest city is tops among U.S. metropolitan areas by having the
largest proportion of people -- 92 percent -- who say they are in good or great
health.
It's also among the best in exercise and among the lowest in obesity,
diabetes and other measures of ill health, according to a recent report from the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This New England city of 40,000, on the shores of Lake Champlain, is in some
ways similar to the unhealthiest city -- Huntington, W.Va. Both are
out-of-the-way college towns with populations that are overwhelmingly white
people of English, German or Irish ancestry.
But there the similarities end:
--Burlington is younger, with an average age of 37, compared to 40 in
Huntington, according to the Census Bureau.
--Burlington is better off financially, with 8 percent living at the federal
poverty level, compared to 19 percent in Huntington.
--It's much more educated, with nearly 40 percent of area residents having
at least a college bachelor's degree. Only 15 percent in the Huntington area do.
The cultures are significantly different, too. Bicycling, hiking, skiing and
other exercises are common in Burlington. Neighborhood groups commonly focus on
improving parks, working in community gardens and repairing and improving
sidewalks.
"There's this norm of a lot of activity," said Chris Finley, Vermont's
deputy health commissioner, who works in Burlington.
And though college staples like pizza are common, healthier foods are also
popular. Grass-fed beef is offered in finer restaurants, vegan options are
plentiful, and the lone downtown supermarket is run by a co-op successful in
selling bulk rice and other healthy choices to low-income residents.
Burlington is helped by the presence of IBM and other employers offering
more generous health benefits and corporate wellness programs than companies in
Huntington, some experts suggested.
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