Burlington VT the healthiest city in the U.S.?

If self assessment of your own body, fitness, energy, and overall well-being matters, then Burlington, Vermont is the healthiest city in the U.S.. This is according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, mentioned in news sources throughout the country, from CNN to the Associated Press. However, other sources claim Lincoln, Nebraska takes the top spot, though if you look at the map below, Burlington makes sense. Boulder, Colorado is also up there.

Burlington and Boulder have two things in common:

1. People are skiing, bicycling, hiking, and staying physically active on a regular basis in either city. You’ll find some of the best deals on snowboards and mountain bikes in Colorado, as evidenced by the map below. If your city doesn’t have the majestic scenery either city has, it’s that much more crucial to invest in greenbelts, bike routes, sports fields and access to national parks to make up for it.

2. Both cities are known to have a progressive, green, forward-thinking mindset. It’s no coincidence each city has a pedestrian-only downtown adjacent to a university, featuring restaurants that emphasize healthy, organic, and vegetarian. If you want an idea of what our communities will be like in the future, this is a good place to start.

Photo: Downtown Burlington by eternalsun.

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